It Only Continues: Renegade Time Zombie
by MichaelaElse
Summary: Christopher Grey has been having strange dreams ever since the Dalek attack of 'The Missing Earth' He meets Kat and his life changes forever. And Clearview's discovery is too good to be true. Featuring Doctor, Master, Susan, Rani and OCs
1. The Unearthly Child

A/N: Welcome fellow Doctor Who fans, this story has been in the making since the finale of Series 4 and obviously, this is set in the aftermath. I do hope people will like this story. This story was based on a RP with a dear friend of mine.

As always, Doctor Who doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the BBC; OC characters belong to me (unless specified).

Now on with the story, ne?

**It Only Continues; Renegade Time Zombie**

**Chapter I**

'The Unearthly Child'

The wind slowly drifted into the cramped room through the small crack of the opened window. A shadow of a figure lay asleep in bed, a fold out bed in a small room, a 16" television in one corner, many posters littered the walls around the dark room, shadows of figures on the 2d a3 sheets, the dull orange glow from the street swamped the upper half of the room, the light bouncing off the posters leaving them with a orange glow with a tint of white. The figure laid below in the shadows of the lower half of the room tossed and turned in his uncomfortable sleep, mentally speaking.

Sweat glistened upon his brow, soaking his brown hair in a cold sweat as well. His eyes suddenly clenched themselves shut even tighter. The distant noises of late night traffic and late nighters didn't affect him but the drumming within his head did. The flashes of orange and red light, the roar of flames wasn't present just the images of flickering flames engulfing everything around him. What's going on? Thrashing in his sleep, rolling his eyes, mimicking the motions of his eyes glancing around as he turned in all directions, calling for help but no one answered, as he lay asleep he whispered the words, whimpered them. Images of people appeared in his mind, after many moments they vanished and the other one came. His whispered their names as they came.

"Doctor...Master...S-susan...Jenny"

After whimpering them words he sprang up, sitting up he yanked the quilt from himself. Sweat covered his entire shirt on his very back, his pillow and bed sheet, slightly.

Hanging his head, bowing it he placed a hand on his clammy forehead. "Ugh.." he moaned, placing that hand and another over his cheeks and eyes, his fingers rubbing his closed eyes, trying to relax himself. His hands retreated and his eyelids opened, revealing his hazel eyes. "Why...those people, I haven't seen in my life before but they seem so familiar" he rambled to himself, his voice low so he didn't disturb any of the others in neighbouring rooms. "That fire. That sky...it couldn't have been orange or was it sunset? No...It couldn't have been." he said shaking his head trying to rid his mind of that thought. "No, it was morning." he reminded himself even though he didn't know it.

Getting up out of bed he stretched slightly, waking himself up.

"If I'm up I might as well stay up" he said calmly, he was about 5"5, roughly about the right size for his teenage age of 15.

Going into his wardrobe he picked out some clothes and started to get changed. He began putting on a t-shirt and baggy trousers. Reaching for his coat he pulled it around his shoulders. Opening his door slowly and silently he left his room, he crept to where he left the keys, he didn't know why he was creeping, it was only him in the orphanage, ha, I guess old habits die hard?, no turning back now, as he unlocked the front door, glancing up and down the street to make sure it was deserted he turned and locked to the door and left the empty shell that he called 'home'. Pulling his jacket around him he headed out for the bay, hoping it was dead around this time in the early morning on a Saturday night, highly unlikely but hopefully it would. At a dawdling pace he picked up his feet and went into a brisk walk, wanting to get there for some reason but yet not.

After many minutes of walking he reached the bay, the square he usually came too. He was walking less stealthily as before as he reached a bench, lining himself up with the bench he fell backwards onto the cool seat, his head over the top, and the top rail on the back of his neck. His eyes cast over the clear starry sky.

"Time to relax and get my head around this thing" he said to himself, trying to keep his mind on track. That dream...he always dreamt of it but he didn't know why, why? He had never seen those people before and that fire was that a part of his past? He did not know; he didn't know anything before the age of five, ever since he was on the orphanage doorstep, nothing, and it was all a blank. He didn't even know his own name if he ever had one.

It was late in Cardiff, but this colourful figure that rounded the bend past a few old boathouses was both wide awake and in some kind of hurry. Even in these twilight hours the coat she wore of all colours swirled in an absurdly annoying pattern glowed under the lonely lights that guarded the empty edifice. Other than all that, she looked somewhat normal if not either caffeinated or insomniac. Her eye colour was both obscured by the darkness and her glasses for the brown colour they truly had been to show through. Her hair was straight and long, a dirty blonde as her friends used to jokingly put it...too long ago. No, now she didn't really have any friends, so no one made any comments about it. She appeared lost, as she had suddenly come to a halt by the square, looking about in all directions ahead of her.

"It must be here somewhere..." she muttered to herself, cautiously moving forward. She had not yet spotted the other individual; she wasn't looking for him. Even if her gaze led over him a couple of times, he didn't register just yet.

Katherine was positively sure of it. Something in this bay area was disrupting the machine's output signals. Ever since she arrived in Cardiff the ERROR message had not left the back of her hand, so here there must be some serious temporal interference, or at least enough to throw off a low grade time travelling device from its coordinates. Once she got the d**ned thing upgraded this would no longer be an issue, but unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot of time to work it all out. Whatever was going on _here _was of bigger importance to her than an inconvenience. She also didn't know about the rift.

Clearly by her accent, she was American, which better explained her awake status at the moment. To her all of Europe was moving a little too much faster especially with all these 'little green men', as Katherine had dubbed all alien life forms, trouncing about here more than anywhere else. Poor unlucky bastards.

But she disliked them, those aliens. Any time she ran into one or another on her travels they were always up to something and even worse, referring to humans as inferior beings. Screw them! All kinds were 'inferior' once! And if humans were so weak, why do these aliens insist on returning? No. Even better. Why do they always split after a day or two?

She knew the answer. It was some Doctor fellow. Every once in a while she'd stop something herself; stop something that was never supposed to happen. All the epic stuff though, there might as well be a tag saying 'the Doctor was here' on all of it. Who was this guy anyways? A Time Agent? No...Time Agents lack the imagination and the brain to save people on such a massive scale from alien life. The mysterious bunch in the black van? Only've been seeing them in Cardiff so far. This Doctor fellow was probably a rogue like herself. The worst part though was that no one knew what he looked like, but the ironic part was that she had indeed seen the Doctor before, in his eighth incarnation, she just didn't know it was him.

But there was none of the signs here. She found a website on him a while back done by this guy who was killed during a mannequin attack on one of those insane Christmas escapades England has been subjected to the past few years. There was no blue box in sight, no madness, just pure silent mystery. Just in case, for whatever reason she removed her left glove just a little to look at the display again. There's that ERROR message. With a frown Katherine slid her glove back on and walked along the path, hands in her coat. She finally did register the other person, some sleepless guy like herself, only she bet mentally that he was nothing like herself. Ah, what did it matter? He wasn't particularly strange, this kid. Either way she was approaching the bench and paused a few feet away from it, also looking up at the sky. She hadn't thought of that until just now. Perhaps this place was just under universally bad reception.

"Clear night sky. I haven't seen one like this since I got here," Katherine finally said, attempting to stir up a very light conversation. It didn't hurt to be social every now and then. One could learn things.

His gaze didn't leave the stars.

"Yes, it is beautiful but not as beautiful as the orange sky of-" he began but he paused, the name on the tip of his tongue, but his mind couldn't register or recognise the name that he wanted to voice, how odd; that's been happening a lot recently, raising his head he glanced at Kat then her left hand. Pointing towards it even though he couldn't see it,  
>" You won't get a signal here with that device" he said but then realised what he was saying and stopped. Clips and knowledge slowly came back to him.<p>

Katherine gave the boy a glance, slightly startled when indeed, as she feared, he noted the device that was still concealed under the black leather glove. "Yeah, I figured," she said, trailing off. Maybe he was a Time Agent, because not only was that quick, but the boy wasn't pointing at a mobile or something. He hit the nail on the head on his first try. Still, instead of erupting in all of her pent up fury towards the group of time rangers, so she called them, she looked away pretending to be indifferent to the observation. "You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?"

At least she could drag this out and learn a little more about this fellow. She already knew he was sharp at best, but then again if he was a Time Agent she would be well unimpressed. By now they should know a girl in a ridiculous coat was the 'terrorist' they were searching for.

He chuckled with a smug look on his face. He stopped his pointing, letting his hand drop to his lap casually.

" You didn't know there is a rift through time and space running through Cardiff from the Medusa Cascade?" he asked with a smug grin, but as soon as he said it, the smug vanished with a shocked expression, confusion written on his face, he was saying a lot of things he didn't understand recently. As soon as he overcame the confusion at his own answer his face returned to the smug smirk.

"They don't necessarily talk about it in medical school," Katherine retorted, not taking in Chris' smug very well. Especially now, when she was almost 80% sure he was a Time Agent (or even smaller percent alien). She leaned on the edge of the bench with a frown, prepared now to face the music if she was a correct as she believed she was.

"Who are you?" she asked, still looking off at the bay. "Really." She added, in a insisting tone.

"I don't know my name is Christopher Grey but... anything other than that I don't know" he said to none in particular mostly towards himself. "I haven't been myself lately... ever since... oh never mind." He added, shaking his head slowly.

Right...he didn't know. There's no way she'd let this guy get away by playing the stupid card. He was up to something what with all that knowledge stored up in his head. He was maybe trying to catch her off guard or worse, make a total fool out of her. Wait for her to slip up somewhere and then take her in to Headquarters where they're just dying to black bag her and store her away in a freezer or something.

Wow...too many nights watching conspiracy movies.

"I don't know what you're trying to get at," she began, her tone growing more defensive by the second. "I've done so much to protect this planet and you lot still consider me a terrorist? Well screw you then!" She was done guessing. By now she completely believed that 'Christopher' here was one of the agents. "Do you have any idea what I'm trying to do _now_? Any clue? I'm trying to find the bastard responsible for the assassination of the President! And what are you doing? Sitting here trying to make a fool of me?"

"American" he breathed standing up, he could make out her accent now; finally getting more pronounced as she raised her voice more and more with her anger, geez, why did Americans have to make a big deal out of everything? He kept his eyes on the sky until he lowered his gaze towards Kat.

"I doubt that you will see him again and he wasn't a bastard!" he said, his voice calm until he finally snapped out the last bit. Why the hell was he defending that murderer, he had no clue.

Katherine backed away, but she was still standing firm to show that she was nowhere near intimidated enough. "He wasn't a bast-you have no idea! None! You won't remember the year that never happened! How close the world was to war with the entire universe! How mad this _Harold Saxon _was that was elected by hm-let-me-guess...saps like you!" She then came close, seething with anger at this one fellow who just minutes ago was just another lonely sort sitting on a bench and minding his own business. "If you know so much about me, _Chris_, then you would understand. I did not forget. I cannot. Half of my brain is nuts and bolts and the year that supposedly never happened, DID."

Finally getting out of his face, Katherine paced on the walkway, muttering a curse or two. "He's still out there alive. I know it. The day he disappeared it stopped but now I can hear the signal again." As she paced she had walked around the bench, tapping on the edge the very familiar drumming...

He didn't listen to Kat, the constant four-beat noise in his head making it easy for his senses to dull and ignore the noise that was 'Kat'. Sitting back on the bench he put his head in his hands, trying to think but the noise in his head getting louder and the scene of a man he recognised as Harold Saxon, the man he knew as the Prime Minister had the same face as the man... from his dreams... the man he used that name for. WHO WAS HE? He wanted to shout, but as he finally remembered what Kat was finally cursing about he remembered that, she was looking for him? So he was alive? Then the question changed to; _Who IS the name he knew as Harold Saxon but dubbed the Master?_

A/N: So, what do you think? :wink:


	2. Captivation of a Deadly Ring

A/N: Now, on with the story.

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Doctor Who, I do not credit from this story financially, I only write it for my own and readers' amusement. I must say that OCs belong to me(unless credited otherwise)

Christopher Grey (c) Me

Katherine Sears (c) belongs to a friend of mine, you know who you are. Pft, Obiously. 

**Chapter II**

'Captivation of a deadly Ring'

She glanced back at Christopher, aware of his silence and eventually calming down herself. She just...pretty much had it with these know-it-alls coming out of nowhere, but truthfully Katherine was a naturally calm and rational person. She stopped pacing and looked back at civilization, then digging in her pocket and pulling out a small piece of paper. Some sort of information was scribbled upon it.

"Whatever...anyways, sorry for yelling. Normally don't do that," she mumbled, reading the note. "I guess it's not the most proper question to ask but...terrible with directions." She held the note out towards Chris. "Wouldn't happen to know where that is, would you?"

It was an address for a bunch of condo type places somewhere along the bay area.

With the drumming in his head and that scene of that burning sky replaying in his room like a stuck record, gave him little room to think as he glanced at the paper, it took him a few moments before he recognised the address as he tried to place the words that almost seemed foreign to him somehow, how he didn't know, he grew up writing them, to a place he knew but not all that well since it was in a more well off part of town. "Down that way" he said pointing in the said direction, his expression blank as he raised his arm to point in the direction of the place on the little bit of paper, with a sluggish motion as if he wasn't commanding his own body.

Katherine peered over in that direction, a small smirk of triumph on her face. "Thanks," she said, stuffing the paper back in her coat pocket. "Hopefully this is the last stop I'm going to have to make for this guy." It was like she went from wary to content in seconds flat, but in truth at this point she didn't care who this Christopher Grey was, agent or not, as long as he didn't get in her way. She looked back at him with a grin and finally decided to introduce herself a little more properly. It was the least she could do after exploding in his face like before. "I'm Kristen by the way," she said, holding out a hand for a friendly handshake.

He glanced down at the outstretched hand like it was a vile thing, he was shocked, he wasn't the _proper _guy, so being the improper guy he was he didn't accept the hand shake. "Nice to meet you" he said, glancing around, trying not to fidget, he glanced back at Kristen, seeing her smug face. " So who's this guy are you after?" he asked slightly interested, heck, he didn't know what to say, he wasn't the kind of person to make small talk.

"And I thought you were bright-a-a-sorry." Katherine looked away with a small scowl. Did she have to insult everyone she just met? Scratching the back of her head with the hand Chris left hanging she finally came out with it. "I wasn't just trying to put up a good defence. I really am looking for Saxon. The story just...doesn't add up. I checked the place where he was supposedly buried but it was an empty grave." She glanced up at Chris for a second to add, "Yes, I did /check/. I'm not particularly fond of grave digging but nothing added up. I did extensive research, a little more travelling, but when I landed in Cardiff I couldn't budge from here using my device. I got sidetracked by that for a while but now that you just cleared things up...I'm off to search for him in the last place I have on my list."

He nodded, rubbing his temple. "I thought as much..." he said with a straight face. " I asked only to clarify my findings" he said heaving a sigh. Ever since the 'incident' he's been trying to find out who this Harold Sax—no, this Master really was.

"What, your findings?" She looked genuinely interested for a moment, but that faded as soon as she thought it over and realized that anyone would be curious about the former PM's whereabouts. "Ah, never mind." Katherine looked once again in her destination's direction before giving a small mock salute to Christopher. "Right then, so I'm off. If I don't come back that means I'm either dead or I forgot to come back. The later is more probable." So confidently she turned and began to walk off, her eyes constantly wandering to make sure she was going the right way. For some reason she felt compelled to invite him to tag along, but then again there was something very odd about him. He could be an agent, but suddenly she was finding herself doubting that. With a yawn (because now she was finally getting tired), she believed that if he did want to come along, he would ask. After all, Katherine didn't want to kick herself for inviting any company herself.

He slowly began to follow her, as if he was a bloodhound finally smelling an oppurtunity. "If you don't mind I've already invited myself" he said " I highly doubted that you would have invited me" he said, keeping in pace with Kat. Who would have wanted to look after a minor after all? He knew he didn't want to.

"Eh, as long as you don't hold me up," she said with a bit of a smile. He must have really been interested then, because in any sense Katherine wasn't the most fun kind of company to keep. Well, she could be fun, but given the circumstances she was taking the bout a lot more seriously than usual. She looked back at him, not slowing down her pace while being quite sure he'd have no trouble catching up. The kid really did look well built, that was if he was still a kid. He looked young. Silently Katherine hoped the danger level in this case was low for his sake...and yeah, a bit for her own. With the machine acting up there would be no quick escape available.

The address wasn't far at all from where they were actually. It was this six story building that looked more like the kind of place you'd live in straight out of college. Taking the paper out of her pocket again the room number 5B was double underlined at the bottom. At the top was the name of the person who was supposedly staying there, a Miss Ella Smitty. Definitely a fake name or something, but as Katherine so jokingly thought it up, she could just as well be living in the green glass room. The place required a key to get in, but for people like Katherine and Chris, it would take something else to get them inside. Katherine rounded the building looking for another type of entrance.

"Keep your eyes open for an entrance," Katherine muttered to Chris. "And Cops."

"Firstly you wouldn't see _cops_ down here, it's Friday night so they'll be near the 'booze bars'" he said, trying his best to create an American accent without sounding like a hillbilly as he emphasised the word 'cops' instead of saying the English and the proper, ha, name for the boys in blue, with a slight sigh. "Secondly, I would use the front door but the fire exit is practical" he murmured to her keeping his voice down, he wasn't the one for sneaking about when his patience was running thin, he just wanted to get it done and over with, no wonder his teachers hated him.

Katherine sighed as she looked upwards at the stretch of a fire escape before her. Upwards. Heights...eh. Clearing her throat she then prepared for the climb, most reluctantly. Hopefully it wouldn't be shaky or loud because after all, no one really uses the fire escape for anything else but suspicious activity, or at least that's what Katherine figured. Where she was born none of the buildings had these rattled stairs on the outside. "I wish the front door was an option but it's the middle of the night and I doubt someone is going to be leaving or coming inside. Either way they wouldn't know us."

Stepping forward she held on to the ladder that lead to the first platform. Unfortunately from this angle she couldn't tell which room was which and began to second guess the fire escape option. "No cops huh...I hope you're right."

She then weaved past him, heading toward the front. Reaching into her pocket and taking the note out, she dug further to remove an old looking key. It didn't have teeth on it and was short in length. Anyone would doubt that it was any help. "Almost forgot about this. It was given to me by a thief. It's some piece of technology." Though it looked like any old regular key, it was anything but. A few weeks...well, weeks relatively, Katherine ran into some tech kids in the year 2025. One of them developed the ultimate 'Skeleton Key' that could and would open any door imaginable that took keys. He invented it to get a hold of some confidential documents, and the whole thing turned out to be some type of madness. Katherine took the key and without looking too suspicious put it into the lock and turned. The door clicked and was opened without a hassle. "And it's on," Katherine whispered.

Slowly and quietly he followed Kat up the stairs. Reaching the platform he watched Kat take out a key, with no teeth, he should have laughed, calling her ridiculous that she could even try and open that door with...that thing, but he didn't. "Where did ya get that one, future? This century or next?" he asked in a whisper, all of these new things didn't seem to, is freak the right word? Nah surprise, that's the word, things didn't seem to surprise him as they should or used to.

"Let see, this is 2008, yeah? Gonna fetch it in a couple of decades or so, give or take a few years." Katherine didn't remember it right away, nor did she take the time to try in this somewhat delicate mission. The lights in the corridor were still on, as even the dankest of places lit hallways so people drunk and dazed could still find their apartment without passing out in the halls. I guess it didn't work for this poor sod right here. Katherine carefully stepped over the man strewn out in from of A3 that reeked of whisky and god-knows-what.

The numbers on the doors graduated but all followed the letter A. Katherine easily made the assumption that B was on the second floor. There was no one passed out on these set of stairs, and so she was quite grateful that so far there hadn't been more difficult obstacles. 5B was only a couple of doors to the left. Once she reached the door she looked back at Chris to make sure he had caught up. The guy was pretty stealthy.

"So, it's about 3am-ish, right? Whoever is behind this door is most likely asleep?" Katherine whispered quite low. If she was on her own she would have just made herself at home, but now that she was also watching someone else's back she gave him a chance to back out or give his input.

Easily and quickly climbing the steps to the next level, he followed Katherine, only small toe taps clicked as he jogged up the stairs and with silent strides on the corridor he just caught her question. He had noticed that she looked behind to check that he was still following.

"At a normal guess Yes but on a Friday night probably so but it depends on the resident and their daily life, it could be highly unlikely" Christopher whispered, realizing that she wanted his input. He was trying to think from many different points of views and the background of who lived here but without any clues he had to assume all possibilities.

"Figured," Katherine whispered with a small sigh. She first checked for a way to look inside first but just as she expected, there was none. The safest bet was to open the door as discreetly as possible and peek inside. Inserting the key into the door, she gave it a slow turn and the lock responded with a very dull click, which was more felt than heard thankfully. Turning the knob Katherine slowly edged forward, getting a peek with the door open but a sliver.

The room was pretty much dark with a lamp or two shining somewhere within. Remembering that the person who lived here was a 'Miss', and seeing that right now and right here there wasn't a soul other than themselves, the first think Katherine looked for while opening the door a little more was a purse. If there was no purse hanging by the door or somewhere easily accessible, then chances are the place was empty. Sure enough by the door the rack where a raincoat hung was empty of everything else. No sign of a purse and no sign of keys. The next step was to listen.

There was no sound of footsteps shuffling on this entire floor even, no sound of a shower and no sound of a television set. The more clues amounted up, the less likely Katherine thought it that someone was home. Finally feeling sure of it, she slipped inside, beckoning Christopher to follow. Breaking and entering wasn't really Katherine's sort of thing, but the closer she got inside the louder it became...that very drumming that plagued her circuits. She was now, at this time, she was just now wondering what she'd do if she found the man. Find him and do what? She got as far as 'kidnapping' him and taking him to more proper authorities once out of Cardiff, but to whom? To do what? How much a conspiracy was the former Prime Minister's disappearance? These doubts began to race through her head, but being tunnel minded there was still that one goal that reigned above all; find Harold Saxon. The more she looked around the place however, the more she doubted that he was here. It looked way too much like a woman's place. Maybe it was time to seek a second opinion...but the drums...

"Chris...do you think, honestly, that he could be here?" This whisper came out a little shaky, because Katherine herself knew no matter what his answer was she was going to keep looking. Perhaps she was unknowingly offering him a chance to escape. Turn around and leave so that they both wouldn't get in trouble. Even though he was the one who decided to tag along, she felt naturally responsible for him.

Seeing the signs that she wanted him to follow, beckoning him in he followed her. Seeing that the key was taken from the door he left the door slightly open, just a crack of light peered in from the hallway. As he dove deeper into the apartment the louder the drums got, rattling throughout his head, he suddenly paused, his body going slightly rigid. He still breathed normally even though it was slightly deeper. His middle and index finger went to rest on his right temple; rubbing it in circles he closed his eyes too, just slightly. Trying to think but yet so little space left with all the drumming but it was coming from somewhere.

"Possible" he whispered with a sigh.

Removing his fingers from his temple he pointed towards a closed door. "It's coming from there...That...noise..."he said his face screwing up, he guessed that she would have said 'what noise?' but he wished, oh how he hoped that sentence wouldn't come as he edged towards the closed door.

Actually, Katherine was so distracted by her own drums that she didn't register anything past 'coming from there'. She was already at the door, turning the knob as if it was made of hollow glass and opening the door with the upmost care.

A peek inside and she saw nothing. It was but a bedroom, bed in the back centre with a nightstand flanking either side, a bathroom door to the immediate right, open and revealing a dim and unoccupied space, and to the immediate left a dresser right up against the wall with several different kinds of makeup, jewellery, mail and other such objects you'd expect to see. The drumming had gotten so loud at this point that Katherine couldn't help but tune out the rest of the world. Something was attracting her to the dresser...something in a little black jewellery box.

Without so much as an iota of attention devoted to anything else, Katherine slowly reached for the box and turned open the lid. Inside there were various types of jewellery: earrings, bracelets, necklaces. There was one thing though, a ring, that hoarded all of Katherine's attention. She slowly reached for it as the computerized side of her mind easily recalled its origin, where it was first seen, on the hand of Harold Saxon.

A strange yellow orange aura began to glow around the ring the closer her hand came, twisting around the ring and reaching in turn for her hand, beckoning her to reach closer. The drums were finally beginning to fade to light as the whole world seemed to do.

On the sidelines what could be seen was a light enveloping Kristen, then returning to the ring. Meanwhile the whole dresser was beginning to shake and the jewellery box dropped to the floor. Once the ring had fallen to the ground so did Katherine, only she was lucky enough to be both conscious and have a bed right behind her, so she simply landed into a sit. "Okay...what in the hell...was that?" She said this in a regular voice that almost wavered into a yell. The ring, on the floor didn't stop glowing, but the light about it seemed to circulate, as if preparing for something.

He didn't answer her, all he could hear was the drumming in his head getting louder and louder, with a puzzled face he slowly edged towards the ring, something bad was going to happen, he could sense it. That light circulating the ring looked familiar, vaguely.

"I don't...like...the...look of this" he murmured he bent down and slowly began to reach out towards it, reluctantly, trying to hold himself back but he couldn't help it, his body was drawn to it, the warm glow was cold but the thrill warmed him as if he was slowly regaining something. The drumming was coming from that ring and the closer he got the louder and louder it echoed and banged in his head.

A/N: Hehe... had to stop it somewhere, hey? HEY, muhahaha


	3. The Return of a Time Lord

A/N: Geez, Third Chapter Today? Lol, I've got nothing else to do until the lil' sprog wakes up.

Christopher Grey (c) Me  
>Katherine Sears (c) A friend of mine<br>Ella Smitty (c) A friend of mine

Chapter III

'The Return of a Time Lord'

He wasn't conscious himself during all of this, or else he might have found it rather amusing. The two were playing with him like two children with a match, attracted to the dangerous beauty. Something woke him up at this instant, the proper touch that Miss Smitty lacked of course. The dead couldn't bring him back from the dead; it doesn't work that way and unless vampires ever took a liking to Time Lords again, it never will. Someone got to him and now he was about to meet that someone. Oh hopefully someone weak.

The light around the ring became even brighter when Christopher reached for it, and it's well safe to say that was the best turn out that the Master could ever hope for. He had yet to meet the fellow but he knew that second touch was that of a Gallifreyan. That would mean he'd be back to himself quite perfectly, fully a Time Lord. By now the ring was gone and a shape began to take its place. The shape was that of a man's...but that of someone familiar.

He was taking on his previous form. Well...everything can't be _perfect_, can it? Maybe being half human would have been worth an unrecognizable body.

The light around him faded, and there where he appeared he looked like something out of one of those Terminator movies, hunched forward and as naked as the day he was born. His eyes opened instantly, his first sight in a long while was Christopher's shoes. He didn't get up just yet though.

"Mind getting me a robe?" He grumbled. Wow, hadn't used the voice in a while. He sounded like he'd been living in a womb for the past few months.

Seeing a person appear from the light was freaky enough but seeing a _un_clothed one was worse, backing up he turned away. "Whoaa...thats nasty" he said not wanting to look back there. Shaking the thought from his mind he listened to what the man had to say. It couldn't be, right? He didn't see the face, not in that fast split second before he walked away and turned his back. Gritting his teeth he listened to what the male had to say, the voice sounded familiar. Listening to the request he could hopefully help with that. _At least he would be covered up_ he thought even with the drumming still in his head. Seeing a robe hung on the back of the door he grabbed it and threw it at the male laying on the floor, seeing that the robe landed on him he sighed in relief. Relieved that he was covered up he saw the male's face clearly, it couldn't be right?

"Harold Saxon..." he whispered, his low and breathless with disbelief.

Katherine was actually just beginning to sit up again before the Master was robed, taking at least an entire second of staring at him before it clicked in her head and she turned away, a blush forming on her face. "d**n you'd think after drawing so many freakin' naked models..." she grumbled. She had her head turned to Christopher, so when he came and tossed the robe on the figure in front of her she waited a few seconds before she looked back. She just had to laugh first, before pointing out the obvious. The robe was definitely meant for women, what with it being a very feminine shad of pink with daisies on it. The laugh was more like a small snicker, but letting that aside she put her serious face on as the man got up, looking down at the robe in distaste.

"Thank you, I think," the Master replied, regarding the robe. He then glared up at him and added, "And it'd greatly benefit you to keep your opinions to yourself."

"You look like a fairy!" Katherine said aloud with a laugh. She couldn't help it, especially after that last comment the man had made to Chris. "I don't know whether to haul you to prison or shove you in a jar!" She had momentarily forgotten that they were supposed to be on the quiet side.

The Master however, had no idea they were supposed to be quiet in the first place, so he retorted with a "At least I'm not wearing that." He made a gesture to Katherine's coat. "You look like a rainbow threw up on you." Not to mention that the Master had some pretty bad memories of people in multicoloured coats, and of course a very long and very bright and bold, _shudder_, scarf.

Katherine was done joking however. She stood up and yanked the Master by his wrist towards the door, still smiling, but it seemed to slowly turn into a snarl as she spoke. "Saxon...I don't know what the hell you are, or what the hell all that glowy crap was all about, but I'm making sure you end up somewhere very dark. Somewhere where you're not a ticking time bomb," she growled.

Chris just chuckled before he stopped, it was a slightly dark chuckle but yet innocent.

"Wai-" he started, he stared at Saxon blankly as he remembered his dream that burning city but those faces...the ones he hadn't seen before, those names. " Wait...he needs to answer to his real name" he said vaguely remembering the name which lingered after the dream.

"Harold Saxon isn't your real name is it?" he asked already knowing the answer, or so he thought, but he couldn't take his words back now... so here it goes. Oh how he wanted to bombard the bloke with so many questions like he was actually the mad man he wanted to childishly interrogate for answers, but alas, o many questions but yet so little time.

The Master merely smirked and remained silent. Finding herself curious about the same thing though, Katherine elbowed him in the ribs.

"Tell us your name," she insisted.

It didn't seem like these two would fall for a lie, and in his position he really didn't see the harm. He made one mistake though that he might regret in a while, but he didn't know he was about to make it just yet. He looked directly at Katherine, focusing his eyes on her own and finally began to speak, in the meantime trying to reach into her mind and take over all that resilience and anger to turn over to his will. "I am the Master, and you will obey me," he said in an assertive tone.

But Katherine, at first looking mildly surprised, frown and slapped him across the back of his head. "Don't try that dominatrix crap on me! I'm a pissed off American!"

The Master winced, rubbing the back of his head an somewhat surprised himself. Why...he couldn't even get a grip on her mind. Part of it was artificial and not to mention, she inherited a part of his own from contact. She didn't know that bit yet, but it didn't seem like she needed to. As far as she was concerned he was a perverted bastard already. "I am the Master," he repeated, this time looking at Christopher instead. He didn't try his tricks this time, since his head hurt pretty badly enough as it was.

"Thought as much" he said, more to himself than to anyone in the room. Slowly he raised his middle and index finger to his temple, trying to think, the two fingers tapping on his temple to the rhythm of the drums in his head, in unison like they were one appendage. Dun...Dun...Dun...Dun.

"Fine then, if you're going to be stubborn," because Katherine didn't seriously believe that was the guy's _name_ and that he was just being arrogant. "Answer my question then. _What_ are you?"

The Master was about to reply until there was a sound that belonged to none of them. Giving up on her question Katherine became alert. "Somebody's here," she whispered somewhat frantically. Outside a troubled "Hello?" called into the apartment.

Thinking quick, Katherine thought of a place they could hide in under seconds. She mouthed the words 'under the bed' to Christopher and the Master as the high heels clopped closer.

Chris hesitated, his mind was fixed on thinking, trying to dull the noise within his head so he could try and concentrate on the commotion that had died down, as he finally got his bearings he then he heard the heels, glancing to the door that led from the bedroom to the rest of the apartment back to the other two in the room, he noticed Kat mouthing something, gesturing to the bed in the middle of the room, the headboard resting on the wall. Taking one last glance at the door he silently rolled under the bed.

Quickly following after Chris, Katherine also scrambled under the bed, followed by the Master who didn't really get the message before but saw the other two disappear and decided to disappear himself as well.

Needless to say, it was a very uncomfortable fit, but Katherine chose that spot because knowing about women, they pretty much visit everything except the vicinity of under the bed. Much to their luck this Miss Smitty wasn't one of those pack rats who kept another closet worth of things under her bed as well. She was stuck in the middle, and the bed being a queen size was nearly holding her breath. With a glance to the Master be thought be musingly to herself how hypocritical it was that he was hiding under the bed along with them. Some master he was.

He didn't have much of a clue what was going on, but what he made out of the situation so far was this; the girl was the one who touched the ring and for some reason wasn't undergoing an overload of deadly knowledge and hasn't even shown a clue that she inherited it, the boy had an odd sense of familiarity about him even though he was certain they had never met. And don't put it past him, but the Master did notice Christopher's tapping. It could have begun after he unexpectedly made his contribution to the Master's regeneration, which was also in question. Something about the second touch kept him from becoming...*shudder* half human. The mystery of these two would eventually unravel itself, he thought to himself. After all, they were seeking him, so he felt he'd be in their company long enough to gain something useful from the both of them, whether they liked it or not.

Ella entered her bedroom, flicking on the main light switch so the room would be a little brighter. She stood there at her room entrance for a while before walking over to the closet, storing a coat in the closet. Under the bed Katherine crossed her fingers, hoping that the lady was going to shower or use the restroom or something. If not, it'd be a very long and uncomfortable night. The heels were removed and place under the bed, the Master quickly leaning to the side when the shoes came so that they wouldn't touch him. In the process he leaned about half his weight on Katherine, who held in her pain with great difficulty. They were lucky that Ella hadn't actually looked for the spot and just slid them under, or they would have quite a lot of explaining to do. Very unnecessary explaining. She then walked over to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Katherine waited and hoped to hear the sound of running water. In the meantime...

"Get off me, chief," Katherine whispered, glaring at the Master. He rolled on top of the shoes, trying to not have a pair of shoes jutting into his stomach in the process. When the shower could be heard, the Master replied with a "Don't call me_ 'chief'_."

"Whatever you say..._chief_."

Finally as he heard the light click as the bathroom door closed behind the lady who lived he, he let out a silent sigh, letting the breath he had held out, upon hearing the running of water Chris had the urge to leave, to get out of here while he could.

"Will you both shut up so I can at least think of something even with this constant drumming" he hissed in a low tone.

"Good luck with that," the Master whispered back, probably actually being sincere about it too. Yeah, he wasn't mistaken about it at all, the boy was sensitive to the same sound, but what did it mean? A mystery he would solve...later. Katherine was already elbowing him again.

"Hurry up and move. Lady's in the shower so it's either now or never," she growled. Rolling his eyes the Master silently crawled out. He gave one glance to the bathroom door before opening the bedroom door carefully.

"Oh no, he doesn't," Katherine thought aloud, still in whisper. She didn't want to follow after to find that the Master had split. She promptly rolled out after, making for the bedroom door faster than he did so she'd have caught up without trouble. He was still in the living room, waiting up on them. Curious...he didn't make a run for it.

It was because the Master was just curious enough. In anyone else's hands, maybe he'd run off, but there was something not...ordinary about these two. He was actually most curious about Christopher.

Rolling out from the bed he silently walked past the door and out through the bedroom door. Seeing that the Master didn't run interested him but he didn't show it. Walking past Kat and the Master he exited through the door.

"Better hurry" he said, he didn't want to linger. He was already making his way down, of course at a slow pace, he didn't want to get too far ahead of himself and leave those two behind, especially when he has finally met the _Master._

"He's right. No doubt this probably attracts those guys in the black van," Katherine added, heading out the door. The Master quickly made his exit as well, looking back for a second as he was already starting to get used to. Okay, from which of these two did he start inheriting that from? He stopped minding that now and quietly shut the door behind him. Katherine pushed past him to lock the door with her key. With a heavy sigh, she then brushed her forehead with her arm, a victorious smile on her face. "Kay, we did it. We get to live today."

Okay, maybe he inherited that from this one. The Master was already looking toward the stairwell and rethinking his curiosity; was it really worth it? Katherine was putting her key in her pocket as she thought hard about what to do next. The tunnel vision was gone and now it was time for the step two that she simply wasn't really expecting. That's right; she had not actually expected to find 'Harold Saxon' here. She was already beginning to head for the stairwell, uncomfortable with the building itself still. She actually had a lot of questions on her mind, so maybe once they were out it'd start there.

"So what now?"

Looks like the questions were beginning early. Katherine was already heading down the flight and didn't stop as she answered with a "we'll get out first."

The outside air may have not been the freshest, but it was definitely relieving after the operation they just went through. Katherine was never good at stealth. She remembered when she played a video game involving it and she pretty much failed at it altogether. She wasn't into that whole 'sneaking around' business and preferred to deal with things face to face. Now she simply wasn't going to have much of a choice but to do that, what with the Master around and whatnot.

Katherine glanced back at Chris, wondering how he was taking all of this. Sure, he got himself involved, but she knew what she was getting into (at least she thought she did for the past few days).

The Master was also pleased to be back in the open air, and no, he didn't try to make a run for it. Where would he go? His face would be too familiar and in no time he'd be recognized and probably lynched. These two knew him but didn't try to kill him just yet, and if they were planning on keeping him alive he couldn't argue with that. He just knew the questions were going to start coming though, only they still, in his opinion, didn't have the upper hand. He had his own questions to ask and he wouldn't hesitate to present them.

"There's no use sticking around here," Katherine said, stretching. "You've got a place Chris? If you don't want to hear what this guy has to say I can just take him with me out of Cardiff." She obviously didn't get the kind of danger she'd be in if she was alone with the psycho, but at the same time she still wanted to offer Christopher the chance to not be bothered by this kind of stuff.

Chris felt the cool breeze brush his hair and glide against his skin. He sighed, as he was trying to think.

Hearing Katherine he just shrugged. "Not much of a place, just an orphanage" he said glancing between Kat and The Master. He knew that she asked, giving him another window to leave. "I'll be sticking around...I've got some questions that I think...he could answer" he said staring at The Master, seeing him in his pink flowery robe, trying to keep a straight face, he was only a teenager, he could act mature but he could still be childish. "We need to get him some clothes" he pointed out. "I'm not walking around with this a half dressed manic" he said turning his head to Kat.

The Master didn't even bother to argue about it anymore, knowing that whatever sort of criticism made against him was just a result of what he had done a year (or two years if you count the year that didn't happen) ago. It's not like there was a range of selection in the woman's apartment. Instead he decided to put in his own, because this was the point when he was going to demonstrate that he was still his own man and quite unafraid to do as he pleased. "What makes you think I'll answer to you?"

"You don't have a lot of options," Katherine warned. "It's not only us you have to worry about, but the 7 billion people who watched you try and take over the planet. You're probably safest in our hands." She looked to Chris, giving him a short nod. "Orphanage works. As long as we can stay with no questions asked. If not then we're going to have to work something else out." She didn't want to have to. The machine she possessed was only able to take a maximum of two people along with her, and it was very taxing to bring company along, physically.

"How safe am I supposed to feel, exactly, in the company of a _kid_ and a 'pissed off American'?" The Master was glaring back at the two as he said this, letting his thought be aloud.

Katherine ignored him, but grabbed his arm in the meantime in case he just decided right then and there to flee. "There should be some clothes at the orphanage, yeah? You wouldn't mind lending the chief a pair of pants or something?"

"It's either you answer me willingly or we'll have sort some other arrangement out" he said glaring back at The Master. He was really starting to piss Chris off now. He didn't know what the heck that light show was about back there, but subconsciously he _knew_ what it was but he couldn't name it or place it, but he knew it had something to do with him, Kat and The Master.

He nodded at Katherine. "I could try but I don't think that they will suit Little Master's taste" he said, breathing, the fog that appeared around his mouth as he spoke was only little because his body temperature was about 15 degrees to the humans 37 degrees.

Even the Master was suffering a little from the cold with the lack of clothing. If he didn't have the robe on he'd be shivering. Katherine only seemed to be noticing Christopher's discomfort and thought to ask about it. "Are you alright? You look like you're catching a chill."

"He'll be fine," the Master answered, arms folded. He had already figured out that the very strong sense of familiarity he felt from Chris was not quite coincidence. Plus, it wasn't even winter, so anybody who's been living on this planet and had the issue of cold should be fine.

"Like I'm taking your word for it," Katherine retorted. She frowned at the Master for a moment until she focused on something else that she was dying to ask him and didn't get an answer about before. "You never said though. _What_ are you?" Right after she asked she motioned to Chris so he could begin leading the way. She didn't want to make a scene out here.

"I'm still a Time Lord, which begs the question of what you are," he replied, redirecting it back to her.

"I'm human, you 'tard," Katherine growled. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"What about you?" The Master was now ignoring Katherine and came to a halt, which caused her to stumble. "What are you if I didn't change?" He was asking Christopher and had a feeling he already knew what the answer was.

"I'll be fine..." he said staring at the Master. He knew what would be coming, so many questions. Chris ignored him and started to lead the way.

"I would guess you would already know the answer" he growled, stuffing his hands in his trouser pockets. He narrowed his eyes as he thought very hard, he _knew_ what he was, so that was it, he was, what did The Master call it, a Time Lord? The name sounded very familiar, and sounded so right as if it was in his very bones. He now had a name to what he was, he closed his eyes for a second, with a serene smile on his face; he finally _knew_ and some of him was at peace.

Slowly a grin began to develop on the Master's face; it was the very first since he was resurrected. "You're like me." The way he said it was almost taunting, as if he knew his level wasn't the best to be at. It was the only explanation though. If it was just Katherine who touched the ring, he'd be half human, but because Chris touched it as well he was able to reabsorb what he lost to the girl. Now the other mystery was to figure out why this 'human' here wasn't crippling under a Time Lord's load of knowledge.

He did glance back at her for a moment, and she seemed to look just as preoccupied as Christopher did. Maybe she's just dense or something? No, that was no _proper _conclusion, as fun as that might be to believe.

"I am not like you..." he started, he stopped walking but yet he didn't turn round to face him just yet.

"I wasn't the one who ran to the end of the universe because he was scared of some Daleks... It's all there in your head even that, f**kin' drumming!" he snapped raising his voice as he turned around to face both Katherine and The Master. Now he was truly pissed, how the Master dare compare himself to him, oh gods, he felt disgusted at being compared to that homicidal maniac.

Anger flared in his normally dull almost lifeless or more emotionless eyes. One of his hands balled into a fist.

The Master simply shook his head, pretending to feel sorry for the kid. "You actually weren't all like me once. Approximately a couple hours ago however..." He stood up to Chris, showing not the least bit of being intimidated by the yelling. "You've even gone so far as inheriting my knowledge. You're more like me than you're willing to accept." He then got out of Christopher's face, continuing to walk away and already fed up with the two. He could make it on his own; he has many times before, even with a whole planet nipping at his heels. It was Katherine however who jogged after him, turning the Master with a grab at his shoulder.

"Hey..."

When she turned him, she knew that the Master, the presumably bad ass type of guy was on the verge of tears. There was so much frustration written on his face, like every failure in his life just came up and slapped him across the head. Even though this man had done horrible things and she knew it, and even though her trust for anything alien has been waning further and further with each day, she couldn't help but feel bad for a moment. "Hey. You're still ours for now," she managed to say, trying to keep an authorative tone.

It wasn't like it helped. The Master easily picked up on it, confirming his belief that Katherine was softer than she let on. Still, he was already at his end with the kid. He reminded him too much of someone else, only cruel. Not that I care, the Master thought to himself in denial. No, he would continue to keep the company of these two and maybe he'd pick up something very useful. They were, after all, unordinary. "That _boy_ better watch what he's saying. I've already warned you," he replied, anger seething in his voice.

"You asked for it," Katherine said with a sigh, personally glad the Time Lord would cooperate.

"You know you should say that to my face..." he said flexing his balled hand, relaxing it afterwards. The two fingers went to his temple like before.

"Are you going to answer some questions-?" he asked but he finished in mid sentence.

The pounding of the TARDIS engine echoed around the deserted square. Chris looked around, glancing in many directions, the others could hear it too right? He didn't want to act like a freak hearing something that wasn't there. Hopefully he hadn't lost his marbles yet.

As the blue police box materialized, Chris looked startled for a moment but slowly walked towards it.

A/N: Hehehe, I couldn't let it keep going on and on and on, could I? =3


	4. My Lil' Runaway, My Run,Run,Run, Runaway

A/N: Hehe, it's been ages since I've been writing FF and since I've been wanting to post this story for aaaaaaggggeeeesssss..., I decided that I just need to try and finish posting this story in one day.

As always, Doctor Who, and any spin-offs of the series doesn't not belong to me, they solely belong to the BBC, if I owned them, the Time Lords would have survived. 

PLEASE, PLEASE, leave reviews. =3

Copyrights;

Christopher Grey (c) Me  
>Katherine Sears (c) Purnip <p>

**Chapter IV**

'My Lil' Runaway, My Run,Run,Run, Runaway'

A tall man ran around the console, the engine of the TARDIS still bellowed. He had landed in Cardiff for a reason and this spot, the rift through time and space which branched out from the Medusa Cascade. "Pit-stop" he said, his cheery voice ringing throughout the engine room of the Tardis, swinging his monitor round, there were shadows of figures on the screen.

"We have some company" he whispered, a mask of indifference slipping onto his face after the initial surprise filtered from his face, they couldn't see the TARDIS because of its perception filter but one figure interested him, he couldn't see the faces or any other detail of clothing but he could tell by the behaviour of one, it was heading towards the TARDIS. 

"What...the hell?"

It sounded at first like a washing machine was suddenly coming at them, so Katherine turned, a little startled, and it didn't help when she saw this blue box sitting there on the corner. It was then connecting in her head slowly...from that site the poor man made up.

Blue. Box.

Nah, that couldn't be it!

Meanwhile, upon simply hearing the TARDIS engines, the Master cursed his terrible luck and was about to simply walk off, not only unprepared to see the Doctor, but not prepared to be seen in what he was still wearing. That'd be like something out of a nightmare. Katherine though, quick as she was to noticed, grabbed at his arm again.

"Would you quit doing that?" That was like, the third time she grabbed him like that. It was really getting on his nerves.

"Hush," Katherine muttered, dragging him to the TARDIS. "This is big. The Doctor's around here somewhere." Then, after a few seconds of examining the box she turned to the Master accusingly. "What did you do?"

"What? Do you think _I_ called him? Please..." He scowled, still trying to hide his face.

"You don't want to know what those two have been through..." he whispered, only for the Master could hear and maybe Katherine as they closed in on the TARDIS.

Now this was strange, all three of the human figures could see the TARDIS. As the Doctor recalled he was alone and none of his late companions was anywhere near except for Jack but he couldn't track him anymore because of the hand because it had 'grown up' and moved to the parallel universe with Rose.

Staring at the interior of the door he wondered what would be on the outside. Grabbing his coat which hung on one of the large brackets keeping the dome ceiling up above his head, shrugging it over his shoulders he turned the Yale lock and pulled the door open, stepping outside afterwards. Something felt different, like..oh nevermind.

Katherine was just rounding the TARDIS again when she ran into the tall fellow stepping out, quickly apologizing as she fixed her glasses back up on her nose. "Oh sorry," she muttered, quickly looking up and hoping the bump was quickly forgotten. She still had no idea what the current Doctor looked like, but this guy here...reminded her of someone else she met once. This really proper looking guy she met once who didn't seem to belong to the time period. Little did she know, that guy was actually the eighth Doctor.

She actually scratched the back of her head, still nervy about bumping into someone who didn't look half bad. Or upset, thankfully.

"It's ok..." he said, not minding the slight knock from the bump, he didn't lose anything. Looking at her face closely he stared at her for many moments. "Don't I know you..I swear I've seen you before" he said, a puzzled look on his face. Glancing around to see the other shadowy figures but he couldn't see them.

"Don't think so," Katherine said, studying the man for a second. "I would remember. I don't forget a face." Especially a face like this person's. She peeked back for a second to make sure the Master wasn't about to run off and saw that Chris was handling it. "Have you seen a man out here, by the way? I'm not sure what he's supposed to look like but...ah..." She took a second to try and remember the picture she saw on the website. It was one of the Ninth Doctor. "Yeah, this tall guy, funny ears, on the bald side and I remember him wearing a black jacket. He might have been somewhere around this box here." Katherine pointed back at the TARDIS which was behind her. She was actually leaning on it a little, tiredness taking over a bit.

"Black leather jacket?" he asked, remembering what he used to dress like when he was that incarnation, the ninth Doctor. "Oh i remember him" he said with a slight smile. "We had some good times..." he rambled on. "He was around this area; might i ask why you want him? I might be able to get in touch with him" he said seeing two figures in the distance.

Katherine looked back for a second as well, making double sure that everything was fine with the other two. They seemed to be having...a borderline friendly conversation with each other. Good, no bodies to clean up then. Her attention returned to this stranger, a little suspicious. He might know the guy? He could be someone who has met the Doctor before...that's still likely. "I don't really...need him for anything, it's just that I hear where ever he shows up, madness and mayhem goes down. I heard this box here was like a sign." Yeah, it would be nice to know if madness was on the horizon, especially considering their prisoner of sorts. Heck, maybe now she was sounding a little mad herself. She then added, "He's got a bit of a reputation on the internet."

"Yeah i heard" he said shrugging off the thought to go and inspect the two in the distance but he couldn't leave Katherine near the TARDIS on her own. "I'm John Smith, nice to meet you...Miss..." he said holding out his hand, in greeting, waiting for her to shake it.

Katherine shook his hand in return, no longer distracted by the two who were a little too distant for her liking. She trusted Chris just enough, which was odd because she only just met him tonight. "Kristen," she replied with a small nod. She had a feeling J. Smith wasn't this fellow's real name; it was just as real as John Doe.

"Nice to meet you Kristen" he said with a short small smile. The name was slightly familiar but from where he didn't know.

Meanwhile the Master was still in the general vicinity, but he was walking around, pretending to not notice the Doctor or his TARDIS. Trying to keep his face from being seen and whatnot.

The Master seemed to try and lose Chris while still staying nearby, so as not to attract attention, but he knew very soon he was going to have to face the music. He paused and shot a glare at Christopher. "You might...nevermind." He shook some of the cold off and continued pacing back a bit. "I don't need to know anymore from you."

Chris stayed close to the Master, not wanting him out of his sight; he didn't want to see that man even though he could answer some questions if it was the man from his dream. Shaking the thought from his head he slowly walked up to the Master. "Are you going to answer some of my questions?" he asked. "I might just answer some of yours...if I can" he said, he guessed that the Master would want to talk to him about something.

"You know your supposed to share with work partners" he said, trying to get the Master to talk even though it couldn't or wouldn't work. "Need to know anymore?" he asked, continuing. "Well I need to know quite a lot more so you better answer some of my questions" he said. "Like...why the hell have i been having a dream about you and a burning city?" he said sternly, he wanted to know at least some of it, hopefully the Master would know the second half.

A burning city? In that case he didn't feel like saying anything. The Doctor told him what happened to Gallifrey...but then again, he never saw it himself. With a glance at Chris he asked a question in turn. "How long have you had these dreams?"

"Oh you just asked a question.." he said, in a very childish and whining voice reminding the Master of what he had said earlier about that Chris couldn't answer any of his questions. With a smirk he chuckled slightly but it wore off, getting all serious again, serious wasn't becoming him. "I don't know...about a month of what I can remember.." he said his voice drifting off as he tried to think. After a pregnant pause he added, "Ever since..." he grew silent again trying to remember the word he was searching for in his newly regained memories, "The Daleks attacked.."

"A month." The Master shook his head. No, if he didn't figure out everything himself, Christopher was virtually useless when it came to answering questions. "I've seen countless cities burn. I believe for the question you're asking I have no _proper_ answer. Maybe you should ask him." He motioned to the Doctor, but at the same time didn't turn his face to him. Come on. Get distracted. Get distracted so I can go. No amount of curiosity is worth being in _his_ company again.

"I'm not going to get distracted...you could be read like a book" he said, a smirk tugged on his face, he didn't know why but he found it disturbingly amusing. His eyes began to fall, with lack of sleep and being up early, really early and that didn't help him in any respect.

"Pff." The Master still hung back, not making a move away or towards the Doctor now. It was about time he faced all this...

Nope! He made a dash for it. He didn't care where he ended up or what would happen because it wouldn't kill him to try but it'd mutilate his dignity if he didn't. He wanted to at least to a place where he could get a change of clothes, ANYTHING to make this meeting less undesirable.

"OI!" Christopher shouted out, in that moment rooted to the spot in shock as he took in the retreating back of the Master. Oh Great. With that thought he went after the Master.  
>"Oh no you don't" he growled out, taking on the chase with ease in his conditioned body (after racing for his school in some events etc.).<p>

Katherine was about to speak again when she saw the Master run for it from the corner of her eye, followed by the alarmed cry from Christopher. She turned, about to run, but not before spun to tell this guy, "Nice to meetcha, Mr. Smith. Got a Time Lord to chase!" And with that she ran after the Master, who had already gotten a pretty good head start.

Thinking that he didn't hear her correctly he hesitated, his mouth opening and closing silently like a dumbfounded goldfish, breaking out of the temper of his surprise, knowing that he had just locked the TARDIS he ran after Kristen on the spur of the moment. _Time lord..that's impossible_ he thought as he ran after her.

"Hey!" Katherine called, trying to run just a little faster. Sure, she had done more than enough running in her travels to be fit, but it was her large coat that slowed her down just a bit, which was more than enough to give the Master an advantage over her. As for Chris, he was able to catch up and even surpass the Master's speed at one point, which the fleeing Time Lord had already begun to notice.

He turned at one of the intersections, full of energy from just regenerating (sort of). Christopher was still hot on his heels and Katherine was not far behind. With a scowl he noted that the Doctor was following as well.

"d**nit I turn my attention away for one second," Katherine growled, about to make the turn as well. It looked like Christopher was going to catch him though. Thank god for the young ones.

Seeing the Master make a turn at one of the intersections Chris swerved slightly to cut the corner, not using a wide turn but a short turn. A slight advantage as he kicked off with his right leg and started to run after the Master once again at top speed, he knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer so he had to get the Master down.

Controlling his breathing, in through the nose and out through the mouth, this was his chance, pumping his legs and arms he started to close in on the Master, making the gap smaller and smaller with every stride, both of his hearts beating fast and strong, he quickened his breathing to gain more oxygen. Out stretching his neck and putting his head down he gained another pace on the Master.

Now he was just about 2 metres behind the Master, slightly to his right. Glancing up he noticed his position and thought of a plan, in mere moments he could lose the chance and could lose the Master all together.

The Doctor was hot on Katherine's heels, slowly passing her because of his speed etc. like Chris but with his long coat on he wouldn't be able to catch the Master like Chris could but rounding the corner he was in sight of both of them in front, watching the scene fold out.

Ceasing his chance, Chris jumped, wrapping his arms around the Master's high waist he brought him down. Standing up again, panting to regain his breath he stared down at the Master. "Don't you ever do that again!" he growled, regaining his breath more and more.

"Get off me," the Master snapped, trying to catch his breath. "I was just looking for a change of clothes, for Rassilon's sake." It wasn't that Christopher was particularly heavy, but after bolting as fast as he did catching his breath was even more difficult with weight on him.

Katherine slowed down, actually not panting as much. After Mr. Smith had passed her just enough she gave up wasting all of her energy unnecessarily. She was probably the only one who wasn't panting much. "Right. Change of clothes. Like hell," she said, wiping her face once. "Run like that again and I'll shove something spiny up your ass."

He didn't care for the girl's threat, but at this moment the Master was simply caught, end of story. He was actually finding Katherine's coat more attractive than before, because he'd rather be caught wearing a rainbow than a pink robe with daisies. At least he could make the best of his terrible luck, as always. He would have actually turned to glare at the Doctor but with the kid still on him he didn't have much of a turning radius.

"Clothes.." he said standing up and moved away from the Master so he could get up but not too far away so he couldn't make a run for it and succeed in getting away. He glanced at Katherine but he had to end his death glare at the Master yet he could still see him out the corner of his eyes.

He saw a man appear next to Katherine. He looked familiar but he didn't want to register him yet. He wouldn't want to make first contact.

The Doctor looked at the figure on the ground, seeing his face. He just stared at him. In his mind, the clogs were turning, how in the seven hells did the Master get to be sat in front of him, in a frilly and very feminine night gown? The last time he saw his nemesis was on a burning pyre. He saw his body burn! Better than that he saw him die, in his arms. A small frown marred his features as he all too clearly remembered that moment, oh how he wept with the dead Master's body in his arms.

The Master stood up quickly, straightening the robe that he'd might as well have to look good in. He didn't glare at the Doctor though, which he wanted to be the first reaction, but instead he had on a small grin as if he was looking forward to the meeting. "I can't say I enjoy seeing you again," he finally said, glancing back at the other two for a moment before his attention returned to his old nemesis. "How are things?"

"Again? You know Mr. Smith?" Katherine actually was surprised, because now this mysterious fellow wasn't merely 'a man who met the Doctor, but a man who knew this Master fellow as well. She then turned to Mr. Smith again to ask about something that had been bothering her. "You know him? Is his name really 'the Master' then or does he just have a big ego?"

"Oh it's been alright after you died except that Davros returned with a new Dalek army" he said with a slight sarcastic tone. He couldn't say he was pleased to see his old friend again; he tried to kill him and dominate the whole universe.

"Yes his name is The Master" he said glancing at Katherine then at Chris. "But I'm not called Mr. Smith, my name is The Doctor" he added, god he might as well say it now and get it out in the open than rather having The Master spouting his mouth off and having these humans have puzzled looks upon their faces and stammering over multiple questions as they tried to voice them all at once.

"Man..." Katherine looked back at the Master, mildly disappointed. Well, she hadn't had to call him that for a while anyways. She turned back to the Doctor, her arms folded as she gave him a more inquisitive examination. "So you're the Doctor, eh? I can't say it's impossible, not after all I've seen. You changed. You look...I don't know. Skinnier."

The Master actually thought for a moment that the Doctor was being sarcastic about the _/whole/ _thing. Being in the state he was in without someone to record all of this for him, he didn't know a thing. In fact, he actively displayed his disbelief in hopes that he'd learn a little more about what was happening before. "You don't have to lie to me," he grumbled. "I'm not a child. You really expect me to believe that Davros, who we both watched _/die/,_ if you were really there, he came back to life with a whole army in his hands?"

"No I wasn't being sarcastic about that...they tried to destroy the whole universe" he said looking at the Master with puzzlement. "How did you come back this time?" he asked slightly curious what happened this time. The last time and the time before that the Master tried to kill him.

"They transported earth and large amount of other planets to the Medusa Cascade" Chris said giving his input. The Doctor was shocked, looking at the young boy; looking him over, wary to what he might be (because he had never met him before he wouldn't have a psychic link with him like he has with the Master) , that Chris even knew about the Medusa Cascade.

"I thought I saw you before!" he said looking at Kat, with a slightly alarmed tone, as if he was over joy to see the woman again and surprised that she remembered him.

"Ah, that's impossible. I've never met you," Katherine insisted. "Unless you looked different...different." She ran a hand through her hair, slightly overwhelmed. It was like the bunch she was hanging around with were super geniuses and she was just a high school underclassman all over again. If she was being anymore literal to that she'd be carrying a notepad and scribbling. Medusa Cascade, Time Lords, Davros?

Suddenly it was coming to her, but like a tidal wave. It frightened her so much that she stopped thinking, in hopes that the feeling would go away. She had shut her eyes in the process, like she just got some massive headache, but when she opened them again, it was gone. That tidal wave of knowledge became a puddle in an instant, but it left her the answers that she hadn't even asked for yet. What the Medusa Cascade was, she knew. She knew several things she didn't know. Everything else though was all hers, as long as she didn't think too much. It was weird and she was terrified for a moment. It was the same feeling she felt before she went into that coma.

The Master's attention was gotten when Katherine reached for her head during the bout, and when she came out of it she was almost as pale as a ghost. He didn't say anything on that though, but only thought that her worst was yet to come. Some of his memories had overwhelmed her, whatever she absorbed. On that note though, he answered the Doctor's question. "These two found me. Before you burned my body I transferred the regeneration into a ring I wore, but because you burned the other body I don't remember a thing since then," he said, pretty much complaining. "Although with daleks falling from the sky like rain I can't say that's a bad thing."

"Be glad you missed it," Katherine muttered, still rubbing her temples. "It was so kind of War of the Worlds type crap."

"He better be lucky that he missed it or he would have run to the end of the universe like before" Chris said glancing at Katherine, seeing how white she had gotten. /Oh great, you better not die on me/ he thought, he didn't want to get left with the Master and the Doctor on his own.

"I wouldn't describe it as the war of the worlds more like the end of the universe and us if they succeeded" Chris started looking between the Doctor and the Master. "Why they picked the location was easy, The Medusa Cascade links all this universe throughout time and even the other parallel universes too. Why needs more detail and more thinking, at a guess i would believe that the 27 planets would be used for an engine to power something to destroy everything but it would have to be powerful...really powerful" he said thinking out loud now, his two fingers went to his temple yet again silently tapping the sound out again, trying to think.

"And he denies he's anything like me," the Master pointed out to the Doctor. "I actually would have favoured be conscious, though. I would have had plenty of time to get away from this lot." He stood back for a moment, a few other questions on his mind that he didn't want to ask around the Doctor (since his business was his alone, anyways). Straightening the robe again he gave a quick look about before adding. "If we could get inside any time soon, that would be great. The sun's going to rise soon and I don't want to get burned at the stake."

"Right, because everyone will recognize you," Katherine sighed, finally regaining some colour. "What I don't get is how..." She turned to the Doctor. "You. You killed them all, didn't you?" For a moment she looked shocked, and rather disturbed. "Did you give them a chance to live? Did you give them a way out? Or...were you getting revenge for your kind, long gone?" She was getting to the point where she didn't realize what she was saying, the last statements deriving from the memories that weren't even her own.

The Doctor watched the tapping which Chris did on his temple. Remembering the rythm which belonged to the Master's drumming in his head. Mind control?, No. Chris was doing it on his own.

"That would be quiet amusing, you getting burnt again but this time alive" Chris said with a small smirk on his face, he could find it quite enjoyable to see someone else suffer. He looked towards Katherine, curious about she was saying. Was Chris one of his kind?, He didn't know truly or believed he was just like the Master or the Doctor.

"Well it wasn't me...my human counterpart did it, i gave the chance to save Davros from his burning ship" the Doctor said looking at Katherine. How did she know? Unless, no, he couldn't have absorbed apart of her to regenerate.

"Basically your killing her" he said to the Master, knowing what he did to Donna.

"We better get going or we could go back to the TARDIS, it is the safest place, isn't it?" Christopher asked glancing between all of them. The Doctor looked alarmed. The Master in the TARDIS, he couldn't, no, wouldn't trust him.

"Nobody's getting torched alive," Katherine said to Chris. "Even this jackass."

"She couldn't die fast enough," was the Master's response as he tried to say this to only the Doctor. It still earned him a slap over the head from Katherine.

"I'm standing right here, chief!" She growled. Last time she'll defend that bastard. But at the same time after that one rush she somewhat understood what the Doctor meant. This surge of knowledge came from contact with the Master, but at the same time it wasn't constantly badgering her. Could it have something to do with the state of her mind? Half of Katherine's mind was purely mechanic. "TARDIS...the blue box, you mean?" Glancing back at the Doctor, she frowned. "You're going to trust this maniac in your box?"

"Safest-" he started but Chris cut in.

" Yeah, I wouldn't trust him either after he tried to kill you multiple times" he said withdrawing his hand from his temple. The doctor looked surprised that Chris new about that, he looked at the Master with a questioning look.

"We better get going" Chris said.

"To the orphanage then?" Katherine looked back for a moment, almost suspecting that someone was listening in. Something troubled her, but she couldn't think about it...like half of it was there and half of it was too dangerous to touch again. It had to do with Miss Smitty, the apartment lady. It did bring up a question however that she could ask, maybe as soon as they got going.

"I didn't expect to be trusted," the Master admit, scratching the back of his head for a moment. Even if Chris here was indeed a Time Lord, like himself and the Doctor, how was it that he knew of things that were beyond his age. For a Time Lord, Christopher was only a child, borderline baby. Anyways, back to the matter of the present. "But what did you have planned for me back on the Valiant if you don't trust me in your precious 'box'?"

"Yeah, we better get going" Chris said to Kat , turning to walk away. The drumming nearly crippled his head to a standstill.

"Oh I would have trusted you," he started but he noticed that the boy was leaving their company, holding his head like his head was slowly crippling. He looked back at the Master, "My Old Friend" he added under his breath.

A/N: It had to stop somewhere, and this seemed like a good one.

Please R&R


	5. The Temptation of Truth

A/N: Oh yeah, these keys are on fire...not literally. Haha

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Original Characters:

Christopher Grey (c) Me  
>Katherine Sears (c) Purnip<p>

**Chapter V**

'The Temptation of Truth'

Katherine quickly caught up, left standing for a moment before she became officially troubled by Christopher's state. More than her own; she normally gave less than a crap about how she felt but ever since they had brought out the Master the drumming in her own head was almost giving her a migraine, not to mention that moment she had earlier that she preferred not to even remember. When she did catch up to Chris, she gave him a light tap on the shoulder to catch his attention. "Hey, are you alright? Really, you haven't looked well since I found you, only you look worse now...sorry. But I mean it, what is it?"

The Master followed after, but slower as he took in the scenery. It's been a while since he's been out and he didn't think he'd see the world again, not where he was. Something didn't make sense to him though, about Miss Smitty as well. If she was the one who found him and kept him why didn't her touch activate the regeneration process? Any touch would have done so, human, Time Lord or even other (except for beings with lower capacities like cats and dogs). Maybe she was just dense? Impossible, because even an idiot could. It wasn't a matter of intelligence but perhaps of something more, and if so perhaps they knew about that ring.

Chris ignored her or it seemed like that but he didn't hear her. The drums in his head banged in his head. For Rassillon's sake, he wished that this insufferable noise would just leave him in peace.

The Doctor slowly followed in silence but his thoughts were screaming at him, wanting to know who this Christopher really was.

Unable to take being ignored well, Katherine rushed over to the centre of Christopher's path, grabbing his shoulder and looking him in the eye. "Are you okay?" She said it slower this time, clearer.

"It takes getting used to," The Master said, at a slow pace still catching up to them with the statement. "At first I used to ignore them, but they got louder and louder. I learned to live with them, probably can't live without them."

"What are you talking about?" Katherine glared past Chris for a moment. This Master fellow was really an ass.

"The drums. Can't you hear them? Of course, you being human aren't so sensitive to them. Christopher over here..." He approached; placing a hand on Chris's other shoulder. "Isn't human, is he? I'm surprised though that the rest of the universe didn't drive him mad, without the proper counselling."

"What are you talking about? Christopher is human..."

"Why don't you see for yourself," the Master said with a sly grin. If Katherine wasn't so baffled she might have slapped it off his face. Instead, she took Chris's wrist, feeling for the pulse. How she knew to check there, she hadn't a clue, but she even knew what she was looking for. That rapid pulse was not one of a human being's...that would mean he'd be having a heart attack. The only explanation would be that he had more than one...heart that is.

"No...Chris...is he telling the truth?" She looked into Christopher's eyes, unsure of whether to be scared or to be interested.

Chris ignored her again, he didn't know the answer. He glared at the Master until Kat took his pulse, he shrugged both of their hands off his shoulders and side stepped, trying to continue to walk towards the distant orphanage.

"I don't even know myself" he said stopping and looked behind him over his shoulder. "All I really remember is being left on this orphanage doorstep, in the dead of night" he added.

"I've already said it, but he doesn't believe me," the Master said to no one in particular. "There's no use trying to talk to someone who refuses to listen." He glanced at the other three from the side, not daring to bolt again though he contemplated his escape. There was no way he wanted to stay around this dysfunctional bunch for the next eternity, or he'd rather take another bullet to the chest. He knew the time would come so, so very soon, because he too knew that no matter where the Doctor went, trouble would follow. In the shuffle he'd make his escape soon enough. For the time being he decided to keep his mouth shut unless it was to make a snide comment or give a sarcastic answer.

As for Katherine, she was getting upset with Christopher's detachment, already regretting to have allowed him to follow along. Before all of this as far as he was concerned he was just Christopher Grey, a young orphan who didn't know squat about his family, like most orphans don't. Now two aliens are telling him all these things that he's been able to recognize, and continued to confuse him more than aid him. On top of all that, the drumming? This kid was suffering from an overload that was nearly as crippling as the one she had earlier, but Chris's didn't stop. He would have been better off if she left him alone back at the bay. He'd be better off without all of them.

Looking to the east, the sky was already getting lighter as the sun began to rise so steadily. Katherine closed her eyes for a second, wondering if maybe she'd wake up, and finding herself sitting against one of the warehouses. Waking up with no drums, no rift interference, and to find that perhaps she drunk a little too much at the pub. Possibly a hangover. With a sigh she had opened her eyes again to find the same thing she had closed them to. Madness.

Once she was beyond the rift's borders, she was dropping off the Master at some high-security military prison and taking a short vacation back at 'home'. The Doctor seemed like a nice fellow and maybe he could handle the rest on his own. He's handled worse, it sounds.

"I don't know if I could trust you" he said rubbing his head. The drumming kept getting louder and louder. Even thinking about sleep made him even more tired and the thought of knowing that he wouldn't be able to get to sleep because of this stupid drumming.

Detachment? Chris hardly ever gets attached. He is a loner at school and at his orphanage. He wasn't an ordinary orphan; he didn't or couldn't even remember his parents. All he could remember was being on an orphanage doorstep in the middle of the night.

Katherine thought she saw the place coming up, but she still let Christopher lead the way in case they were wrong. So none of them had a car? Let's see, the Doctor just came out of a box, the Master out of a ring, and Christopher came out of an orphanage. Sure she had borrowed a Vespa from an old friend who lived outside town and collected the classics, but she had left it at the place she was staying at before...his house. Yeah, so kind of pointless. Her one track mind was what lead her out here in the first place. Plus, four people on a Vespa was unrealistic.

It was harder now for Katherine to remember what life was like before all of this travelling. There was a time when she was leading the same normal life as most people do, going to school and being with her family and friends...her fiancé...maybe that's why it was so hard to remember. It still killed her inside to remember him. Every day she tries to do something to make his sacrifice worthwhile, but nothing seemed to amount to it. Her failure to do anything about it stilled her every step, interrupted any thought. What she was doing now still made no sense to her, and as much as she hated going with the flow anymore...where else was there to go?

He stopped loathing it so much, being here with his old friend and nemesis. It wasn't going to last long anyways, and the Master wasn't quite up to anything just yet. Whether Christopher trusted him or not, he didn't care. He wasn't so well influenced by the Master that he could be of any use to him. As for the girl, if it wasn't for whatever it was that blocked him out, she would have not only been under his control, but in little time she'd be dead. He knew they all had questions however, and had a feeling they were waiting to get to their destination before they'd all be answered.

Reaching the orphanage doorstep he stopped for a moment. The memory flooded every part of him, as if he had returned to that very moment; He was a little child standing on the very same doorstep. Cold. Alone. Frightened. Oh so frightened, it was much more than being scared of the dark or being on one's own, it was much more than that, the fear was a part of him, a massive part of his small being. _What made him so afraid?_ As soon as the sensation flooded his senses, it left him, regaining his awareness he began digging his hand into his pocket he plucked out a bunch of keys, placing it in the lock and turning it the door clicked open and with a push and turn of the door knob he walked in, picking up the keys which was on the inner doorstep, placing them back on the counter he waited for the rest of the party; Katherine, The Master and The Doctor.

The Doctor came to the front door, seeing Katherine walk in he waited for the Master, he wanted to make sure he didn't get loose. The wind tugged on his coat and hair, even his tie which was on the exposed part of his body, the coat wasn't buttoned or zipped except it lay open.

"It isn't much and hardly anyone is here anyway after the Daleks got here" Chris said remembering the screams of the younger children and even the carers as they died by extermination while he didn't. All he could remember was a dull pain, closing his eyes and waking up among the dead bodies.

Katherine nodded as she came inside, followed by the Master who actually didn't make any sort of move to get away. Once she was inside and noticed that Christopher was well right, she spoke up. "Actually, I got here when the attack was ending. I heard stories about it in the future and wondered how I missed it. Glad I did...so glad I did."

"You're a time traveller?" The Master raised a brow at Katherine, somewhat surprised, which was odd because he did absorb a bit of Katherine before and probably just not that bit.

"Yeah, I do a little travelling," she said, fixing her coat. It got ruffled up a little too much by the wind outside. "But I always seem to be in the worst place at the worst time."

The Doctor shut the door after he entered.

"There's no one here, everybody thought everyone died when the Daleks stormed in" he said. "They think it's an abandoned place" he added. He fell silent after he shrugged his jacket off, remembering everything that happened.

"Sounds like a good deal," Katherine said, watching the coat get put down but not doing anything about her own. She preferred to keep it on all the time, unless it was insanely hot or the coat was dirty. She turned around to look for a light switch on the wall, flipping it on. The lights blinked on in response, illuminating the place. It was a little dusty from neglect, but there were definite signs of recent abandonment. She took her gloves off, which she only kept on when it was absolutely necessary, and while they were off she took a second to glance at the machine's status. Still the ERROR message blinking back at her. Katherine frowned and lowered her hand, stuffing her gloves in an inner coat pocket at scanning the room they entered. "So what now? Are we taking shelter for the...ah, morning?" It was a little too late to say night.

The Master was far from tired, but he didn't give any input. He was open to any means of escape.

"..." Chris was just about to say something when he batted his eyelids in a tired but hurting fashion, still holding his head, the drumming was overwhelming. Leaning against the wall with his other arm he rubbed his temple with the other hand, closing his eyes slightly, trying to relax.

"We might as well, we can't let the 'walking stiff' get out." he finally said hinting to the Master, everyone thought that he was dead and he wanted to keep it that way, he betted the Master wanted it that way also. "You better get some rest" he said to Kat "I doubt I will be able to get any" he said.

Katherine glared at the Master for a second, wondering how dangerous this fellow was supposed to be. What could he do now? Everyone on the face of this planet would probably recognize him, so where could he go? Christopher seriously didn't look good, and as a doctor herself once upon a time, she knew that above all else, he needed rest. Something would have to be done about the drums in his head, which were much worse than her own (yeah, she was getting a headache and a half, but she could sleep through anything). Maybe if the Master went away for the night/morning...she needed a second opinion.

"Doctor? Can we do something to help him?," she said, pointing at Chris. "He needs rest too; I don't care what kind of alien he is, illegal, legal, bi-cardial, whatever. He needs rest in the worst way."

Chris ignored her, staring at them all blankly as he looked back on that night when those things, those Daleks stormed in. They killed everyone, everyone. Why was he thinking about that now? Ugh, he hung his head lower, his hand coming up to brace his head.

The Doctor just glanced from Katherine to Chris. "I can't really do anything unless he wants me too.." he said he was just going to add more on but Katherine should have known Time Lords have a psychic link, maybe, considering she did take part in a transfer.

Looking to Chris, Katherine slowly approached him, not making any physical contact this time around. "Chris, the Doctor can help you if you let him. I'm not shutting my eyes until I know I've tried everything to help you do the same." As much of a pain as she could be, she was more compassionate than others immediately take her to be. It was only in times when everything was fine that she was a little more impossible to be around.

Standing on the sidelines, the Master wasn't really paying any heed to any of them, lost in his own thoughts. Whatever dastardly deeds he could be hatching, who knew, but he wasn't going to stand there being _concerned_. It wasn't in his nature.

"I don't need any help" he mumbled. Oh course without being attached to anyone, he wasn't the type but he didn't get help at all so he helped himself, worked for himself and for no one else but he wasn't always like that but that all changed.

"Just get some rest" he said with a slight growl, he didn't want to get a whisper in his ear even with this drumming, and he was slowly going to lose his cool yet again.

Irritation returned, Katherine pretty much gave Chris a mean, half-second glare before turning and walking into one of the vacant rooms. "Whatever. I have work to do anyways," she said on her way out, her tone no longer a friendly one. She didn't have the patience for stubborn ones anymore. After dealing with a highly sarcastic and somewhat bipolar friend in college, she was done arguing with the whole lot.

He could already see the trio falling apart in front of his eyes. The girl had already grown frustrated with the young Time Lord and the Doctor was somewhere in the middle, as left out as he had become. The Master didn't say anything though, watching Katherine disappear into one of the rooms in ill spirits. He bet that she'd pass out in the middle of whatever 'work' she had to do. As for the Doctor, he didn't even look back at him, not too keen on looking him in the eye in his current position.

Chris stayed silent, glancing between the older men, The Doctor and the Master. "There's some clothes in the wardrobes which the carers left" he said trying to think of making the Master less of a sight for sore eyes.

The Doctor looked at the Master then at Chris. He stayed silent.

"Do you want my help?" The Doctor asked, taking a step forward. "It won't hurt..." he added but got cut off, his voice sounded gentle.

"I said NO, ok" Christopher snapped, lifting his head to glare at the Doctor.

Clothes in the wardrobe. That was his cue. Not necessarily to escape, but to change out of this forsaken robe. The Master went into another one of the rooms to take a look at his selections. A lot of the clothing was for younger people, obviously, but there were some to the far right that looked like they belonged to the previous caretakers. There were more than enough t-shirts, but nothing nice, so the Master had to make due with a white polo and a pair of black pants that fit well on him, to his luck. Just his luck though he spotted some other clothing he could get used to, a black jacket that looked like something out of the 70's. It'd make him look less...mismatching. The actually all went well together, the pants made of leather as well and a bit glossy. Still a bit tight. (I'm so picturing Sam from Life on Mars.)

Meanwhile Katherine was sitting on the edge of the bed in the adjacent room, fiddling with the console on the back of her hand. Perhaps there was a way to override the point of reception so that the rift couldn't interfere. If she could just fix that then maybe she could leave here with the Master and leave him somewhere where he couldn't cause any trouble, far from Christopher. It'd do him and the world a load of good if she could.

Chris just sat down in the living room. He still was holding his head because of the drumming. He thought he was human. With one night and a couple of dreams he slightly clicked but what he didn't know was why was he abandoned?

The Doctor just looked at Chris, thinking of what to say or do. Should he help him or not? It would be nearly impossible to try and help Christopher if he didn't have permission, first he had to get close, well, enough for some amount of contact, preferably on the head/face area but that didn't stop Christopher from, in his panic, from unknowingly shut him out of his mind. If he had to help, it had to be on Christopher's terms and he had to...relax.

The drums in his head dulled down slightly as he closed his eyes and rested his head down onto the chair arm, laying sideward in the chair, his feet on the ground, handing off the edge. His hair ruffled out with the pressure of the pillows underneath him. He clenched his eyes as the drumming came back, louder than ever. The flashes of car head lights zooming past on that dark, cold and wet night, the clicking of shoes going off into the distance.

He murmured under his breath "Susan.." then again louder this time. "Susan".

The Doctor noticed his lips moving. Understanding he must be dreaming he let the thought go but something bugged him, like this had importance.

"SUSAN!" he shouted, suddenly sitting up in a split second, opening his eyes instantly before he sat up. Sweat dripped from him even though the night was slightly muggy.

The Doctor was alarmed and stepped back; his face showed shock but returned to normal but yet worried. Susan...he hadn't heard that name...in ages. His granddaughter.

########################################################################################################

The Master emerged out of the room he had been in, fixing the watch that he had nabbed from one of the drawers. He didn't actually need a watch; Time Lords, not surprisingly, had a very good time sense. It just looked good with what he was wearing, same with the snakeskin shoes he found to match the whole 70s look he had going on. With a look to the right, he saw the Doctor and Chris in the living room, their silences too awkward for his liking. So he swerved into Katherine's room since she had left the door open.

She glanced up at him and couldn't help but smirk. Her attention back on the device on her hand she responded with a, "Nice outfit Starsky."

The Master muttered a "thanks" as he leaned on the doorframe, tapping on the side of the wall to the drums. This went on for about 30 seconds when Katherine looked up at him with a death glare. "You're out of sync and it's driving me crazy."

He stood away from the door. "So?"

"Whatever."

It was quiet for about a minute or so, but then the question that bugged her earlier came to mind, so Katherine asked it. "Hey, if anybody could have touched that ring, how did that lady have it without you sprouting up?"

The Master looked up for a moment, remembering that he had wondered the same earlier. "I don't know. The only conclusion I reach is that she didn't touch it."

"Who picks up a ring with tweezers and puts it in their jewellery box?" Katherine responded, hands on her knees. "I mean, I was wearing gloves and that didn't stop you."

"Hmm...It doesn't matter. What does a lady in a dead end job have to do with anything?" The Master sat in a chair by the doorway, slumped in boredom. "Why would you care?"

"I was just curious," Katherine muttered, picking a nail.

Both Katherine and the Master looked up at the sound of the shout, unable to really tell what was being said. Katherine quickly got to her feet and made it to the entrance of the living room, the Master following slowly in tow. "Wha? What is it?" She wasn't aware that Chris had tried to sleep or anything, so she thought something had just 'happened'. Right now though all she saw was the young Time Lord standing up in a start and the Doctor looking highly alarmed. "What happened?"

"That name..." The Master looked up, since he was leaning against the wall in the hall to try to get a look around Katherine. "He didn't say Susan, did he?"

"Who's Susan?" Katherine looked back at the Master for a second before turning to the Doctor. "Who's that?"

"How do you know that name?" the Doctor asked. His face still in shock and highly alarmed. His eyes were wide, staring at Chris who didn't register anything.

Chris' eyes were wide with shock; sweat rolled down his brow and damped his hair. "She...She was there" he said to none in particular. The sound of the drums slowly returning again.

Katherine didn't bother asking where, having a feeling that he wouldn't know the answer. She was getting tired of pressing him too. Instead she let Chris and the Doctor iron this one out. What was the name again? Susan? Maybe the Master could tell her later, if he cared to. He seemed to know about her.

The Master however was a little more relentless. "She was where? Susan should be dead, everyone died."

"She was alive...if everyone died then why am I alive, you and you?" he asked looking from the Master to the Doctor. The Doctor sat down in another chair, running his hand through his hair, he couldn't believe it.

Chris held his head. "She was there...when I.." he started. He didn't want to think about it, it hurt to think about it, see that memory again.

"When you were left here," Katherine said, taking a step closer. She had connected the dots by herself, using no one else's knowledge but her own. "Do you think this Susan might have been your mother?"

The Master made a sound, like a small laugh of sorts. "I wouldn't put it past her. I knew she'd grow fast."

"Shush," Katherine snapped, glaring at the Master for a moment before turning to Chris. "Is that possible? Or maybe a close relative?"

Chris nodded; she had got in a hole in one. "No..I don't know" he said shaking his head. He didn't know anything about his parents. He rubbed his head even more; that stupid drumming. He ran one hand through his hair, trying to stop the sweat from soaking it even further.

Chris lifted his head and glared at the Master when he made a small laugh, his eyes showed slight anger but tears lined the bottom of his eyes also, anger. How could she leave him?

The Doctor stood up. "Susan's alive.." he thought aloud. He hadn't seen his grand-daughter in a long time, would she recognise him or would he recognise her?

He couldn't get his head around this; he last saw her back on Gallifrey.

An awkward silence thickened the unbearable atmosphere of the room. The pressure wanted to squeeze the air from his chest, silencing the words he so desperately wanted to speak out; yet his throat tightened with trepidation, what if he didn't want to remember it all? And leave his returning memories in a confusing and jumbled mess. Licking his now desperately dry and cracked lips, he hung his head, he wanted to hide.

"I-I want, want you to help me remember" he choked out, glancing back up at the Doctor, his face pale and pleading.

The Doctor was shocked into silence, taking a shaky breath, which he hoped none of the others noticed; he went to Christopher and knelt in front of him, bringing his hands to the side of his head, his fingers fanning out over his temples and on the swell behind his ears.

"Relax" he calmly ordered, his voice sounding hoarse.

Chris tried to do what he was told.

"If it gets too much I will stop" he added, slowly closing his eyes, so did Christopher.

And with a flash the memories flooded back to him and the Doctor watched.


	6. He Whom Turned Back Time

A/N: Well... I really, really would like some reviews guys.

I know I didn't finish this story within the day but, alas, I'm back.

**Chapter VI**

'He whom turned back Time'

The distant roar of flames, the overwhelming smell of choking smoke, it was all too much. His child mind couldn't comprehend it, things were never this bad, why now?

"Maman" he called, his small hand in his mother's cold yet clammy hand, his chubby fingers curled around her slender and feminine digits. Yet she didn't turn back at his call, just kept dragging the small boy in fine robes, distinctly Gallifreyian, the burgundy reds and burnt orange and the sparkle of golden thread and his small shoulder dress. His small legs couldn't keep up with his mother's strides.

"Mother" he called out once again, yet she didn't give a sign that she heard his call, he pulled against her, slowing his steps, trying to halt, his cheeks wet, he was so confused. Only when he began to slow did the tall and thin woman turn to look at the child she was nearly dragging, her expression sad as she looked down at her son. She knelt down, her hands cupping his cheeks, her fingers caressing his dark brown hair, her blue eyes watery with unshed tears. How could they do that to her child? She wanted to weep; her son had such an innocent face now, his ordeals forgotten.

"Come along now" she cooed, how she tried to keep her voice from cracking.

"Why do we have to go?" he asked his small voice at a bare whisper.

The woman he called his mother had a small sad smile upon her face, she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to compose herself. Soon they would find out she had took the boy.

"Because it isn't safe anymore, darling" she soothed, weaving her fingers within his straight and boyish locks.

"But the high council said—" he started, his voice showing his innocence.

"Lies" Susan hissed, the painful memories still in her mind.

Upon hearing the hiss from his mother, the boy recoiled back, retreating from her touch. Upon realising her mistake she pulled on the front of his robes to drag him back to her person and enveloped him in an embrace to try and calm him.

All he could see was black as he closed his eyes and nuzzled into her shoulder, trying to control his sniffling.

Lifting his head to see his mother's face, albeit a rather blurry vision of his mother's face he began to speak again;

"Mummy, my head hurts" he whined, his small hand coming up to cradle his head, his tiny digits curling around his unruly hair as he clenched his eyes shut.

He couldn't see his mother move but hearing the shuffling of clothes and the small weight being removed from his shoulders he cracked open his eyes to see his small golden shoulder dress being placed on the floor beside his mother, her nimble fingers going to the front of his robes, he couldn't look down to see what she was doing but as her hands retreated and holding a golden object; a necklace with gallifreyian glyphs and numerous jewels and as it left him, the pain, the intense feeling of death and the roar of cries left him and he suddenly slumped onto his mother's shoulder.

"The bastards—" she cursed.

He felt his mother move and then a clatter of metal; she must have thrown the damned thing.

He slowly closed his eyes as he was enclosed within his mother's embrace and held close to her body, his head nuzzling into the crook of her shoulder and his arms and legs wrapped round her body as she stood and began walking again.

Walking. She kept walking and he held on as if she would disappear like the rest of them. The bouncing of her steps lulled him to a light trance state as she big to make an escape with the child they guarded with the up most security, soon they would find him missing and come after them. He was sure of it, and as if his very thoughts brought them, he could hear the faint commotion and voices growing louder as they grew nearer.

He felt his mother's grip tighten around him, slowly he fluttered his eyes open and looked back down the corridor to the guards his mother couldn't see but surely knew was there.

"HALT!" they cried and mother began to quicken her already lengthy brisk strides. The child jumped and clung to his mother, a look of horror on his face as she halted and clutched him close and began to turn. They were right in front of them, well behind them- they were surrounded.

"Give up the boy Susan" a voice spoke, the guards parted in a wave as a tall, greying man walked to the front of them. Upon seeing them Susan adjusted the child to make sure she had a good hold on him.

"Never" she seethed, her hand on the back of her son's head, trying to keep the child from seeing the man before her. "You will not use him for this war" she barked, taking an object from her pocket and pressing the button, the guards charged at her but they couldn't reach her before she and her son fazed out of the corridor.

They were in a TARDIS- His Mother's TARDIS. He felt disorientated as she placed him down on the metal mesh floor but he didn't mind, they were away from the bad people. He stood still as his mother rushed to the controls and began to try and escape from this cursed planet.

As soon as the engines began to fire into life the boy clutched his head, a buzzing, a painful buzzing, he stifled a cry of pain as the engines boomed and echoed in his head. He felt warm, no he felt like he was burning – his blood was on fire as the TARDIS carried on to its destination with difficulty and his mother rushed around the console to keep the TARDIS flying.

"It's ok K-" she began but a sudden jolt silenced her in mid sentence as she had to hurry and try and keep them going, keep their 'on the run' alive.

The young Christopher gave an alarmed yelp as he was thrown about and he stumbled up the steps and closer to the security of his mother. He crawled under the mushroom shaped console, his knees to his chest and his hands weaved into his locks as he cradled his head on his knees.

"It hurts" he murmured, but his voice was lost within the moment as his mother kept flying the TARDIS. "It hurts" he repeated it, over and over again like a mantra.

"Make it STOP!" he shouted, sparks flew from the console as he punctuated the final word.

Suddenly Susan fell to her knees, seeing her son clutching his head, she plucked him from his hiding place and embraced him as his tears dampened her shoulder.

"Shush now" she crooned, petting his head, her fingers weaving through his hair as she tried to calm him. Sparks continued to fly, puffs of smoke billowed into the room in an almighty rush but it eased as soon as it started, a small frown marred her face as she noticed the destruction ceased as her son calmed.

The sound of the engines ceased, they were here, wherever here was. Oh yes, she knew but Christopher didn't, but right now he didn't care, he clung to his mother like a newborn babe.

"I'm sorry"

Susan peeled herself from her son's grasp and placed her hands on his head (much like the Doctor is now) and closed her eyes and everything went black.

His eyes slowly fluttered open, his eyes closed and slowly opened again as he tried to adjust to the glaring light in comparison to the darkness of unconsciousness. He awoke to find himself on the wire floor, he couldn't remember where he was, he couldn't remember who he was- but now his future self knew, his mother had wiped his memory.

Ah, there she was now, she appeared from a side room wearing strange clothes, human clothes, he looked down at his own body, he was wearing similar clothes but a more masculine version of trousers, t-shirt and a jumper.

"Your awake" she said, her voice more calm and cheery and distinctly feminine, as it used to be. He stood up, his big brown eyes looking at her with confusion.

He wanted to back away, he couldn't quite place her but in the back of his mind he knew he could trust her, so he stayed where he was as she approached.

"I'll miss you, my little angel" she said, a small sad smile on her face as she petted his cheek, her thumb gliding over his plump cheek.

"Who-" he began but her finger fell over his lips, silencing him.

"You don't need to know right now" she began as her hand retreated from his face and placed something in his hand, her hand cupped his as she made his fingers close around the cool circular object with a chain. "I want you to keep it safe, you hear?"

Dumbfounded, he only nodded as she stood and placed her hand around his and pulled him along to the door.

The cold air bit away at his cheeks, making his skin flush red as the familiar lady escorted him into the night. The orange glow of the street lights illuminated their way down streets of houses in the dead of night. He took a glimpse of the sky, a murky black-blue with silver-white stars twinkling in the night sky in-between the large gaps between pastel blue clouds as they drifted along following the breeze.

The slowing pace broke him from his revelry, he lowered his gaze from the sky and took a good look at the large house they stood in front of, he looked back up at the woman with a questioning look.

"Go and knock on the door" she cooed.

"You won't leave me?" he asked, his voice oh so innocent.

"I'll stay right here" she promised with a small smile.

Slowly Christopher left her grip and took one step, then another and another, all the more growing in confidence and too soon he reached the porch. It was a struggle as he tried to reach the door bell but it was worth it, a smile of triumph on his face as he turned over his shoulder to the woman but the look vanished from his face to find where she was standing was eerily empty.

A commotion awoke behind him as lights went on in the house, the yellow-white light easily seen through the warped and frosted glass inset in the door. He leapt from the porch and down the garden, looking from one end of the street to another to find nothing.

She was gone.

A/N: Sorry about the small chapter this time.


	7. The Truth: She's Alive

A/N: Well, sorry for the short chapter last time, but I wanted it to be kept 'short and keep you in suspense' – Oh wait I was just kidding myself.

On with the next chapter!

**Chapter VII**

'The Truth: She's Alive'

"I hate...what am I saying? I'd love to shatter your hopes and dreams by saying that maybe Susan left Chris here before she was taken in the Time War." The Master edged away from the wall, moving past Katherine into the room. "Maybe she's dead and Chris here is her surviving legacy."

"I hate to admit it, but what he says is possible. Maybe that's why she left you here," Katherine added, approaching Chris. "So you could live."

"I still think it was a waste," the Master said with a smirk. "Unless she did what I did and exists around somewhere, unaware of what she is."

The Doctor slowly let his hands fall from Chris' head, his fingers felt heavy and stiff as he stared at the young Time Lord in disbelief. He couldn't believe it, the boy here, was his great-grandson, with that knowledge he took in the boy's features, rich dark brown hair which was long and un-kept but he noticed it only reached the nape of his neck and his eyes- a dull muddy brown that could be mistaken as black at a distance. The unruly hair fell into his face- his teenage face was pale and clear of acne or spots that teenagers usually were prone to. He wanted to smile, his legacy lives on but the pain of what he had done reminded him why he was so happy his legacy was alive and well. Christopher's face had grown up, gone was the puffy face of a small child, now he looked like he was close to adulthood- well in human standards anyway.

"He's Susan's" he managed to choke out, standing and taking a few steps back from the teenager.

Christopher awoke from his revelry and blinked a few times – he replayed what the Master had said within his mind and gave him a glare.

"You know what, I don't care if she's dead or not, all I know is I never had any parents, I never needed them or no one else and I'm fine without them" Chris said after taking in the conversation between Katherine and the Master.

He looked at the Doctor. He could tell something was bothering him. "She was your grand-daughter, wasn't she?" he asked.

The Doctor looked at him, the look told him yes but he didn't say anything. He could have killed his own grand-daughter to save the whole universe like he killed all of the Time lords that day.

"Are you trying to say that she would run away? Like a coward?" Chris asked standing up even though he looked unwell because of lack of sleep. A smirk appeared on his face, a smug smirk.

The Master actually wasn't affected by that question, obviously made to mock him, but he wasn't amused either. "You have no idea what it was like. Where I was standing, it was the most horrifying thing that could ever happen. You would run too, if there was no hope left and that was the last thing you had ever seen."

"This war...is it over? The Daleks-" The sudden wave of knowledge washed over her again, this time crippling Katherine so badly that she fell to the ground on her knees, clutching at her head and tears running down her cheeks. "Aaah d**nit! I can't remember! I can't! So stupid..." She seethed at her own carelessness, reaching too far for the knowledge that she had forbidden from use, locked in the softer region of her brain. She had seen it though, as soon as it ebbed again. Everything...all the fire and a burning city, Daleks falling from time and space like torrential rain, Time Lords and Daleks alike being incinerated from existence. It was horrifying indeed, and when she finally opened her eyes she found herself hugging the Master's legs perhaps a little too tight.

"You saw it, didn't you?" The Master said, glancing down at her. "Understanding doesn't make one feel any better."

"I would have sacrificed my own life to save Gallifrey, your own planet, you wouldn't have saved it, and you would have run with your tail between your legs." Chris snapped leaving his head and placed his hands in his pockets. He would have to live with the drumming and he was slowly getting used to it, slowly. "You did" he added, narrowing his eyes.

The Doctor watched it all fold out, the Master and Chris, so similar but yet so different in many ways. If Chris was-Chris would be his great grand-child.

"You probably saw the same thing I saw...every night...every time I closed my eyes I saw it burn like my eyes were on fire" he said, he knew Gallifrey was destroyed but he didn't know who caused it.

Katherine quickly collected herself, standing up again looking more pissed off than weak. She couldn't stand this odd sixth sense crap. Every time it happened it felt like her brain was trying to kill her. "Why don't you stop picking on him!" She yelled this out, in the peak of her confusion and anger at Chris. "I would have ran! I couldn't stay, the whole world was falling apart and from where I was standing, THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO."

She put a hand to her head, the drums plaguing her a little worse. She pushed past the Master and went back into the room she was staying in, sitting on the bed with her arms folded, too angry to cry. She felt like a coward because she'd do the same and she knew it. But it was all too true, there was nothing she could do. The world around her was already burning.

The Master was still standing in the hall, looking at Chris with a hardened glare. He had to be related to the Doctor to sting him this badly. Looking at the Doctor and then at Chris again, he was already through with this conversation himself. "What's done is done. I'm still alive and that's all that ever mattered to me. Coward or not, I'm still alive." He left the hall and walked into the other room where the wardrobe was, pacing for a moment before standing still in the room, hands on the back of his head for a moment as he looked out the sliver of window, a shard of light shining through. "Still alive."

Chris ignored her outburst, just glaring at the Master. He noticed after Katherine left that he gave him a hardened glare. The drums were coming back unlike before like he was asleep and just before hand they were dull like they were at the back of his mind now they were up close. " That says something about you doesn't it, coward but yet," he started before the Master left, he would have to continue it tomorrow or whenever he appeared from his room.

Sitting back in the chair he started to tap the armchair to the rhythm of the drums in his head, his left hand cradling his head, leaning that way, his elbow sunk into the chair arm.

The Doctor left the room which Chris was in. He knew that it would be better to leave him alone. Chris the night before was just an ordinary human orphan who knew nothing about his parents, left on a doorstep one night, he couldn't remember anything before hand, he was given the name Christopher Grey and he didn't question anything. Now he is an orphan Time lord, has knowledge beyond his age and now he had a mother which could be alive. The Doctor could be his great grandfather and that constant DRUMMING!

After leaving the living room he entered the hall, shrugging his coat off his hung it on the bottom banister. Walking past Katherine's room he paused, glancing from her door to the Master's. He felt sorry for the Master. Knocking on the door he opened the door, entering the room. He saw the Master with his hands behind his head, looking out of the window, he noticed that Chris was doing the same before he left but sat on the chair. Clicking the door back to closed he looked at the Master, staying silent; he wouldn't make himself known yet.

"The resemblance is uncanny, isn't it?" the Master said, not moving aside from letting his arms rest at his sides. He knew the Doctor would have questions; why was Chris so like him? He didn't absorb /that/ much from the Master when bringing him back. Perhaps the boy shared the same destiny as he did, but then again the boy didn't get a chance to look into the raw fabric of space and time like the Master had. He tilted his head enough to get a glance of his old friend from the corner of his eye, a small smirk on his face. "He's more related to me than he is to you, why is that?"

The Doctor stayed silent. He started at the Master. Why was that anyway? Why did Chris act more like the Master?

After the Master asked his question the Doctor snapped back and glanced at him then out of the window. "I have no idea" he said, trying to think, even the thought of his granddaughter being alive or could have been and had a son which she left here troubled him.

The Master turned his head away again. "So what now?" The whole idea of Christopher being a lot like him didn't disturb him that much, but at the same time it was a curiosity. He couldn't remember any children he might have had, and when it came to Susan well, he never went there. She reminded him too much of the Doctor, hence any sort of relationship would have been highly awkward. What were they to do now, with this somewhat lively bunch? Everyone else was anchoring the Master down from doing what /he/ wanted to do, and the Doctor would not neglect him for a second with every chance that the other Time Lord could cause trouble. At the same time, he wouldn't leave Christopher. Katherine technically could leave at any time. With the troubles they were currently facing though, they were still stuck right here.

The similarity was slightly disturbing for the Doctor but he hoped well was certain that the Master wasn't any relation. He wanted to stay near the Master. He wanted to keep an eye on him. He didn't want the repeat of last year with him trying to take over the world and that. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Are you sure..?" he asked, he wanted to make sure that Christopher wasn't any relation of the Master's. He didn't even know that Chris was any relation to himself.

"Oh, no, I'm not. I could have children out there, somewhere..." He actually laughed at the thought, because unlike the Doctor he had not once ran into any of them if they existed. "But with Susan? No. Unless she didn't tell me who she was and I didn't recognize her." It was getting harder and harder for him not to laugh uncontrollably, because just /imagining/ the Doctor's reaction if he was the father of Susan's kid would be utterly priceless. What...he'd be a grandson-in-law? That would actually be too weird for the both of them. Even Time Lords carried every shred of dignity possible. The Master then turned, with that sly grin he used to have still there on his face. "You can't keep me as a prisoner forever."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the sly chuckle or laugh, seeing the grin didn't help either. So there could be a small possibility if there was any, since Chris was Susan's kid. He slightly shuddered at the thought, his throat even choked up at the thought that she might be alive.

Katherine's anger quickly subsided, as it always did, and so she reached across the bed for the remote control to turn the television on. She wasn't actually watching it, but in this bittersweet mood she was in she needed some background noise. The channel was a little snowy anyways, the antennae slightly bent and the converter box old and dusty. It was the morning news that started to come on, speaking of events like the war in the Middle East on halt, people whose lives were still turned by the attack, and the growing surge of crime in Cardiff. "Is there ever any good news..." Katherine sighed, resting her head in her hand.

As for the sole human (somewhat) being in the group, she was about to fall asleep, ironically lulled by the sound of the bad news of the world, when the tone of the news caster changed to a happier one.

_"I'm standing here in front of Clearview Industries, reporting to you live. Yesterday we had been told that Miss Crimson Fair, president and head chemist here at the Industries has discovered both a cure and prevention for cancer. For many years we have waited, and it is believed that Miss Fair has found the solution to one of the world's leading causes of death in people today. Steve?"_

_"Yes, I'm standing here with Vice President Richard Laurence who has been so kind as to join us this morning. So Richard, is this really the cure that people have been waiting for?"_

_"Indeed it is. Fair has spent countless months on this cure, making a discovery that other medical research facilities have been trying to make for over several decades. It is not only a cure, but it is able to treat and prevent all forms of cancer. I have no word on how this will be disbursed just yet, but Miss Fair has made it clear that she would try to get this out as soon as possible to those who need it most."_

Katherine rubbed her eyes for a moment, unable to believe what she was hearing. "A cure for cancer? Sounds a little too good to be true," she grumbled. "At least it's good news."

Katherine was also thinking the same thing, as genuine as the news sounded. They wrapped up the report and the anchor lady said that coverage on the cure itself would be on tonight...which was about an entire day away. Being a doctor herself, Katherine still had trouble believing it could be done so soon, by just one person. And after all the alien types she's met, she wouldn't doubt if Miss Fair was being influenced by any external knowledge. Cancer develops in the body when cells are created that are mutated, and so they can't function properly. Depending on how the cells have mutated they are either taking up space and doing nothing or taking up space and malfunctioning. Cancer is the process of the body malfunctioning, which got worse when the environment did. It's a direct result. The way that it occurs cannot be prevented that easily, or else the people who had put their heads together for decades would have solved it already, in comparison to this one lady who only took a few months.

Katherine got up, but she was already weary from being awake for more than 24 hours. Sitting back down she looked to the bed, making quick sure it didn't have lice on it or anything, and decided to take a small nap.

Chris tapped on the arm of the chair, staring out into nothing out of the window. His head tilted to the side, on the palm of his other hand, the elbow still slightly sunk in the armchair. Still tapping out the drumming. He too needed to think, keep a clear mind.

Chris closed his eyes for a moment collecting his thoughts. He could hear the muffled sounds of the television through the wall, the remote the television set in the living room was right by his hand, switching it on he just got the news. He had just missed the commenting which came from a presenter which went live.

"Too good to be true...too good" he said to himself. He knew that cancer was too complex for humans to cure in this decade, no, this century.

Upon hearing the news, he didn't know why he did but he leapt up from his chair and had the urge to go seek out the two Time Lords, he didn't even bother to knock as he swept into the room that the two men occupied the room.

"Did you just see the news?" he asked glancing between both of them. "Found a cure for cancer..Yeah right, it's something like you would have pulled" he said with a sly smile towards the Master. With all what was happening to him lately he didn't even bother try and look shocked at all of the 'weird' things he was talking about lately.

"Eh he he," the Master mocked, pretending it was the most amusing thing ever with a gallon of sarcasm on the side. "Why would I want to cure something that's killing humanity?" It was somewhat true though, that if the Master had developed something and he wanted everyone in the world to ingest it, it would be a cure for something like that 'supposedly', but he could see where Christopher was coming from. He wasn't fond of this planet in any way shape or form but he knew enough about it to realize that it was too early in Earth's time to be discovering such a cure. Either way, he didn't care.

Chris smirked. The Master would have done something like this if he had the right mind to do something which involved 'experimenting' with people. "Something like the Rani would do" he said rubbing the back of his neck. "Well she was always better at this then you, wasn't she?" he asked looking between the Master and the Doctor.

A look of concentration marred his face. "Wasn't she called Ushas?" he asked, his right hand coming up to the back of his head as he rubbed his head, his fingers running through his hair.

The Doctor froze at the name. Rani, he hadn't heard that name in years. His head whipped round to the young Time Lord, his eyes narrowed just slightly.

Alright, he couldn't help but laugh at that one. The Master did laugh, remembering quite vividly seeing the Rani in battle. "Now /she's/ dead, no question about that!" He wiped a tear out of his eye, because that was, among making the Doctor insanely old and treating him like a pet one of the sweetest revenges he's had in a while. "She didn't want to get involved in the Time War at all, but when the counsel found her oh...they changed her mind. Everyone was issued a fob watch just in case the worst was to happen and I took hers. They hadn't bothered to give me one." He wasn't really sour about it though. He knew they simply brought him back to fight and most probably die.

Chris looked slightly shocked remembering the bulge in one of his pockets, digging his hand into the said pocket. Lifting his hand out from the pocket with a beaten shiny object, lifting it up, he let it fall, jerking as it reached the end of the chain, a fob watch. "You said everyone was issued one? " he asked, sure it was Susan's.

The Master's jovial moment subsided as he examined the watch, his expression slowly entering seriousness. He didn't say anything, but he knew what it meant, and he even avoided looking anywhere near the Doctor's eyes so he wouldn't pick it up subconsciously. This was what he was thinking; Susan may very well still be alive and left that watch with her son in hopes that she would be reunited to it. Perhaps, but then again even if she was still alive, human somewhere, she wouldn't remember it and finding her would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. He didn't need to say it or relay it though, but his nemesis probably figured the same thing. It's time to mention the negative part, the ever present pessimist he was. "It'd still be a nightmare...," he said to Chris. "Either way, don't bother trying to find her. She's probably happier, oblivious to the chaos in this universe. What applies to humans applies to all; ignorance is indeed bliss."

Chris listened to what he had to say, with one flick of his wrist he caught the watch in his hand as it swung on the chain.

"Bliss? Your saying that you liked it better as a human, both of you?" he asked looking at the Master then at the shocked Doctor then back at the Master. The Doctor looked shocked that he even knew that with the family of Blood.

Since the boy had surprised them quite enough as it was, the Master wasn't impressed by this bit of knowledge either. Instead he folded his arms, without a reply. He actually didn't like being human, but then again that was from his point of view. As for Professor Yana, he truly did want to save the last of humanity, but his entire life as far as he was concerned was devoted to it. The Master's case was somewhat unique given the circumstances, but if Susan were still on this planet and in this time period, her situation may be much like the Doctor's when he was human.

Strange...he knew about that. Must have taken that from the boy as well. Either way, Susan might be married now to someone, thinking she's got a job doing something she's worked so hard for, maybe with other kids as well! That's how different the situation was. But still, compared to the horrors of the Time War being human for a while was nice. Yeah. Really. Because he didn't have a straight answer though, he still remained silent.

Chris stayed silent. He looked at the Master, straight in the eye. He guessed or more like knew it. He didn't like it. His human counterpart wanted to save human kind but yet if he didn't he wouldn't or couldn't survive either if you thought about it.

After waiting many moments he left, feeling like he had over stayed his welcome. He placed the two fingers to his head and rubbed in a circle, that annoying drumming, it was getting closer. Still walking he glanced to the room Katherine was staying in but didn't go in he just walked past it, entering his room. Switching his light on you could see the posters and images on the walls. Many were just drawings, coloured, many were bright with orange and reds which represented a fire which was clear on one image while one was just peaceful, a silver city with an orange sky, before the Time War. One was of the interior of a TARDIS which wasn't alive anymore, it had burnt out. Dead. A child huddled under the console, sparks still flying everywhere. These were his memories which he recorded which came in dreams.

With Christopher gone and left alone with the Doctor again, the Master glanced at the other Time Lord for a moment and smirked. "I bet you took to it a little too well, didn't you?" With a small chuckle he shook his head for a moment. "Where would you be if it wasn't for your dear Martha Jones? Maybe still human, having a normal guilt-free life." And the Master well, he would have eventually came and took over everything, with the Doctor being utterly oblivious of his actions. Oh, if only. If only he hadn't underestimated that feisty Martha Jones.

He took a moment to walk around the room, examining it's details and trying to give his old nemesis every little signal for 'go away' as he possibly could. Not that he was going to try anything tonight (or maybe he would, depending on how easy it is) but he didn't like having company 24/7. He was more of a loner than the Doctor ever really was.

Chris walked into his room, sitting down on the edge of his bed he glanced around all of the drawings he had done, all of them varying with mood with each memory.

The Doctor looked at the Master, seeing the hint for him to leave. "You better not be up to something" he said before walking out, glancing back behind his shoulder just to make sure. Walking down the hall he saw the light flooding out of Chris' room, stopping outside the door he noticed him looking up at the wall, he followed his sight and saw the images. Walking in he still didn't take his eyes of the images. Seeing the one with the burnt out TARDIS. /That's must be how they got here..but it died/ he thought, stopping looking at the image and looked at another.

Chris didn't register him yet, he just stared at the same image, and the child was him, huddled under the console when he was five, when he and Susan escaped.

"She said we had to leave" he said, looking at the doctor then back at the picture he was looking at before. "Oh, but you know that" he said after a pause, huffing out a laugh.

The Master scratched the back of his head after the Doctor left and he sat on the edge of his bed, catching his reflection on the wall mirror. He looked very seventies, as Katherine remarked. Thinking of her for that one moment he then did think of something...a way out. It would take understanding this girl a little better though, and whatever machine it was that she used to get here. He decided it was time for the Time Game. Getting back up again, he checked the time on his watch even though he already knew, it had already been a few hours, but he needed to know an exact time. At exactly 11AM there should be something useful inside the wardrobe, which he would note to himself to leave there before the crew had reached the orphanage. He crossed his fingers and opened the wardrobe, a smile forming on his face.

Walking silently out of the room, quickly checking that the hall was clear, he was about to knock once (and hopefully not to the drums) on the side of Katherine's door, but it was actually open.

Inside, she was turned away from the door, lying on the bed but not asleep. She actually woke up about a half hour ago, wide awake after only 4 hours of sleep. Four hours were plenty. She was writing in her journal about today's encounters, last night's, and this mysterious news that she planned to investigate well...now. She was actually planning to leave in a little while.

The Master came closer for a moment, about to say something to check if Katherine was awake, but once he saw her shoulder moving, he found that she was writing something. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked, actually trying to startle her without being too obvious that he was.

Katherine quickly sat up, hiding the journal with a scowl. "No, I slept. Listen." She glanced up at the Master for a moment. "They didn't leave you alone, did they?"

The Master shrugged. "I don't need a babysitter, Katherine."

She froze for a moment. He...knew her name. "Why did you call me that?"

"Call you what?"

Katherine groaned and rolled off the bed. "Nevermind. Tell the Doctor and Chris that I'm leaving...no, I'll tell them. Better yet, come with me so I can make sure they don't leave you alone again."

"No, I rather think you should come with me."

Before Katherine could protest she was turned to face him, and the Master was pointing a metal object at her. It looked a bit like a laser pen, only bulkier. She didn't know what to make of it but slowly rose her hands just in case.

"Good," the Master said, grin widening. "You have an idea of what this device can do."

Of course she knew what the device could do. Her spot-on memory revealed it to her. It was during the year that never happened when the Master made a broadcast to 'his' world, using the very device to turn this poor old fellow into a shrunken old fellow. Katherine wasn't vain or anything but there was no way she wanted to be transformed into a disfigured dwarf. Her expression hardened she waited a moment before she spoke. "Where did you get that?"

The Master had a feeling he was being spied on, so he not only needed to make this conversation sound harmless, but he actually needed to get what he wanted to get done fast. "I found it lying around in the wardrobe actually. It's strange what people keep in those nowadays. I mean, in one instance there was an entire world inside a wardrobe!" Oh, this was amusing. Sometimes he cracked himself up.

"What do you want from me?" Katherine growled her eyes like daggers. The moment he wasn't holding all the cards she would get him back for this so bad.

"From you? Only to help you!" The Master said with a cunning grin. He quickly pointed the laser screwdriver at the bed and then back to her. "Sit."

She had no idea what he meant by that, but like hell he was doing anything for her that wasn't to ultimately benefit himself. Either way, because she was currently being threatened, she did sit just as he ordered. The fact that she was listening to him seemed to please him greatly. Must have been too long a while since someone took his orders.

He came over and sat next to her, taking the glove off her left hand to examine the tiny console, then shaking his head in disappointment. "Not a bad piece of equipment at all, but the coordinate system is very primitive."

"I had to borrow the technology from the US government. Of course it's primitive," Katherine muttered. It was then that the Master aimed the screwdriver at the console, making some sort of modification to it. It was relatively painless but it still frightened her enough that she pulled her hand away. The Master shook his finger at her.

"You do realize that I'm trying to help you," he said, eyes glancing up into hers for a moment.

It wasn't just that she didn't trust him. This machine had taken so much sacrifice to build that she would give her life to protect it. At this point she didn't care what the Master did to her as consequence. But for some reason she re-offered her hand. Something told her that she could trust him not to destroy the machine, not now when he needed it.

When he needed it. The Master was going to use her to escape! Of course that's why he'd try to get the thing working now, and she felt a little slow for realizing that now. Pulling her hand back she stood up, defiantly glaring back at the Master. "Listen you, I don't care what you do with that little laser of yours but I'm not about to assist some psycho in escaping! You got that?"

« Reply #135 on Jul 18, 2008, 12:15pm »

"Really, how do you think I got this?" The Master replied, holding up the laser screwdriver. "You will help me because you already have."

Raising a brow, it appeared that Katherine already caught on. "The Time Game huh? Yeah, I just watched that Bill and Ted movie a few days ago. I can play too." She took another step forward, grinning. "Go ahead and fire away, chief."

Anger washed over the Master at being called that silly nickname again, despite his protest. He fired the laser screwdriver to increase her age by five years as a warning, but the screwdriver backfired, clapping on five years to his own life and knocking him on his behind. "I win," she hummed. "You see I fully anticipated that you would leave yourself a weapon so that you could threaten me to escape, so under a false sense of security I left you the thing so that you could see...I mean business."

The Master scowled, and when Katherine offered him a hand he refused it and got up himself. "That's just wrong."

"Wrong, but I'm still 27. How about you?"

"I'll live..." With that, he swung around with the screwdriver and tapped one of the buttons. Suddenly Katherine was beginning to phase out, along with the Master. She glanced up at him in horror, but he too was phasing out as well. Turns out he really did have the upper hand.

In less than a few seconds, both had vanished.

Chris stopped his dead stare at the image and looked up at the Doctor for a moment, his eyes asking why he was in his room or get out!

"..." Chris was about to say something when a conversation sparked up in Katherine's room, next door. He stood up from his bed, two voices, and two people. The Doctor and him in here, Katherine in hers and the last he saw the Master was in his but he could have moved in on Katherine. Turning to the wall which separated the two rooms he jumped onto a chest of draws about his chest height, which made him reach the ceiling, barely missing his head. He stood right in front of a vent, flicking the switch he opened both sides after fiddling with it for quiet sometime, like he did with all the rooms. Squatting down again he got his screwdriver, a Phillips on, placing it on the screw head he began to turn left, slowly and silently he took them out one by one. Lifting off the cover to his side he peered inside, it was clearer and he could see two figures. The Phillips screwdriver was held by his lips before he squatted down again and dropped off he had, the screws, the screwdriver and the cover.

The Doctor knew what he was doing, he was spying.

"Someone's in there, Katherine and...The Master" he whispered before returning to look through the vent. Standing up again he looked through again, staying silent.

Chris blinked many times, trying to focus to the bleak light in this small chamber next to the rooms then the bright light in the next room. Heaving a sigh out, a silent sigh he listened in and watched what he could. With his vision being blocked by strips of metal wasn't good when you wanted to get the whole picture.

Hearing them starting their conversation again, the Master sat next to her. He was pointing, no...It couldn't be his laser Screwdriver, at her console on the back of her hand. He knew what that meant. Katherine used that to get here from the future; he wanted to get out by using that.

Seeing Katherine stand up and finally cottoning on to his plan he smirked, a faint smug chuckle escaping his lips. /Looks like mister Master can't even escape...or try and get that thing/ he thought glancing back at the Doctor who still looked at the picture, he too glanced back at Chris, he guessed something would have been wrong.

Chris' eyes widened at the sight of them vanishing. "Nuts" he muttered under his breath. Looking back for another look just in case. Jumping off the chest of draws he ran and skidded into Katherine's room, glancing around, none was there. "Oh great.." he growled.

The Doctor appeared behind Chris, running after him, hearing the remark he said before running in here. He too noticed that no one was in here. He looked at Chris and Chris looked at him then returned to look in the room. "They just...teleported...great!" he snapped kicking the nearest thing, a chest of drawers. It hurt but his anger was numbing it.

A/N: What do you all think? =3


	8. Clearview: What Lies Beneath?

A/N: Wow, last chapter was my longest chapter. 0-0

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who (including all canon characters such as The Doctor, The Master, Susan .etc)

Original Character Disclaimers:

Christopher Grey (c) Me

Katherine Sears (c) Purnip

Rebecca White (c) Purnip

Ms. Ella Smitty (c) Purnip

Ms. Fair persona (c) Purnip

Mr. Kay (c) Purnip

**Chapter VIII**

'Clearview: What lies beneath?'

Meanwhile, heading for the city of London in a cab, Rebecca White was nearly late for her new job. She had not had time to hear the news that morning, so when the cab arrived in front of the Clearview Medical Research facility she was easily overwhelmed by the multitudes of camera crews and vans parked illegally outside. She asked to be dropped off a block away, believing that walking the rest of the way would actually be faster.

"I'm going to be late! Mum's going to kill me if I lose this job," she said to herself as she ran to the building. Several interviewers spotted her making for the entrance, but Rebecca didn't take a second to answer any questions or pay them any heed. She really needed the money and seriously couldn't afford losing her job. Once she was inside it was a lot more quiet than it was out, which took a few seconds to get used to. The only person she could spot was the receptionist, working hard on something on the computer. Ms. White approached.

"Is Ms. Smitty here?" Rebecca tried not to pant as she spoke, since she was still catching her breath. She was a rather hefty sort, if you know what I mean. She wasn't particularly attractive but at the same time she had the sort of spontaneity that could easily be admired.

"I'm sorry but Ms. Smitty is out for today. Is there anything I can help you with?" The receptionist never looked up from her computer.

"Oh, um...well, you see it's my first day here. I'm a new employee. I was hired by El-Ms. Smitty."

The receptionist glanced up for a moment, still with that stern look on her face, before going back to her computer work. "Hold on one moment please."

"Okay...Rebecca White. Mr. Kay will be with you shortly. He's the assistant head of that department," the receptionist finally called, her focus still on her computer. It was like she was glued to the thing.

Rebecca got to her feet, after she had been waiting for about 10 minutes. So far so good, sort of; she would meet her second boss and hopefully he wouldn't get cross about her tardiness. In less than a minute the elevator doors opened, revealing a handsome man in his mid twenties, short and nicely styled blonde hair and blue eyed...if this man wasn't her boss she would have hit on him in a heartbeat. He came over as she came to him then extending his hand to her as she joined in a friendly handshake.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Ms. White. My name is Edmund Kay and I'll be guiding you around the labs this morning," he said, all with a charming smile. Rebecca could only nod slowly, still lost in his eyes. They seemed so...unreal. Like they pulled her in.

She followed him to the elevator, and he pressed the button with the BF2 on it. The elevator began to move downward. Rebecca examined the buttons, a little too shy to look Mr. Kay in the face for the moment. They went from the third floor down to basement floor 4. She had never seen a place with more basement floors than ones above ground.

The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened, revealing a grey corridor of steal and steam. Hardly the stuff of labs, it frightened Rebecca at first, but Mr. Kay only laughed. "Those pipes help keep the lowest basement floor insulated. A very certain temperature is necessary to keep our research. This way please."

With a small nod in understanding Rebecca followed her boss into this somewhat intimidating place. The halls actually brightened up a few meters ahead, as well as they were painted a decent off-white to match the rooms. She was lead into one of the closest adjacent labs, where inside stood the famous chemist herself, Miss Crimson Fair. She was nearly as beautiful as Mr. Kay, with curled red hair, eyes honey coloured even behind glasses, and in her lab coat her perfect figure was still distinguishable. She called Mr. Kay over to have him look at something, to which he nodded and then turned to introduce the new employee.

"This is Rebecca White, handpicked by Ms. Smitty. I have high hopes about this one."

High hopes? What did she ever do to deserve that?

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. White," Ms. Fair said, not stepping away from her microscope but still looking up to give a proper enough greeting. She too, like Mr. Kay, had such hypnotic eyes...

"Um, I saw a lot of newscasters outside," Rebecca stammered. She was still awed to be in Ms. Fair's presence, but it wasn't quite normal. No boss had ever made her feel this unworthy.

"Oh yes, you haven't heard? We just made a breaking discovery," Mr. Kay began, but when his eyes met Ms. Fair's, he cleared his throat and added, "Ms. Fair has. She's discovered the cure for cancer."

Rebecca immediately thought they were joking, so with a nervous grin she asked "What, all of it?"

"That's right, Ms. White. A serum that can cure any form of cancer," Ms. Fair said, taking her gloves off to finally give Rebecca a handshake. Her nails were bright red, which seemed to play really well with her hair and eyes. "And me and Mr. Kay were just discussing your role."

"My role?" But Rebecca had just gotten here. She has done nothing so far accept what, apply for the job and get interviewed by Ms. Smitty.

"Your future role," Crimson corrected. "Your role will be very important in this next phase of our company. We have made the cure, but there are other issues that will soon need to be addressed. You will be vital to that process."

Chris couldn't deal with this now. Walking out he went back into his room and shut the door, trying to think or get some sleep. The Master and Katherine gone, well he couldn't say that they were any help except that he found out that he wasn't human etc.

The Doctor didn't bother in pursuing Chris but stayed in Katherine's room. After many moments he sat on the bed. Thinking.

After many minutes, hours who knows Chris walked out of his room, glancing around the hall he saw it was empty he walked down to where the Doctor left his coat, roaming through his pockets, all of them including the inner pockets. Picking out the sonic screwdriver, psychic paper and the TARDIS keys. He didn't know why the Doctor had bloody taken his coat off and left his 'valuables' behind in it when his nemesis was walking around like a free man earlier but his loss was Christopher's gain.

Silently he left, walking towards the door, pulling the door open, turning the handle he walked out, silently. Closing the door behind him with a silent click he walked out of the small garden onto the street, walking towards where he last saw the TARDIS.

Chris reached the square, seeing a small amount of people (even though it was about 12pm) on a Saturday noon. Seeing the blue box out of the corner of his eyes he headed towards it. He was pleased that there wasn't a large amount of people here because if there was he couldn't really get into the TARDIS, if you know what i mean.

Reaching the TARDIS door he plucked the keys out of his pocket and found the Yale lock, placing the key into the lock he turned and pushed the tall narrow door open, stepping in he plucked the key from the outside lock and placed it back in his pocket. Walking inside he closed the door behind him. The large room was well, different, he hadn't seen anything like it since one of his dreams and that was only one occasion.

"So this is what a TARDIS looks like, after all this time?" he asked himself outloud, knowing he was alone. Stepping up the two steps he reached the console. Touching the console he closed his eyes suddenly, the sudden flooding of knowledge of how to pilot a TARDIS came to him once again. Opening his eyes he glanced around the TARDIS he thought he saw, oh never mind. He thought he saw a ghost of a figure, a women but when he blinked, it wasn't there.

Walking around the console he flicked switched, cranked cranks and turned nobs before pushing a lever, the TARDIS engine began to bellow and the whooshing sound came as the TARDIS dematerialized from the square. Walking over to the monitor he checked, he was still in the present, the forward location is London.

Chris finally heard the whooshing sound of re-materialisation of the TARDIS.

"Let's go out and investigate shall we?" he asked himself. Walking towards the door, he looked at his wrist watch, seeing the time he paused.

"Better wait until they go home" he said before opening the door, noticing he was in a cupboard; he shut the door after he looked outside. He would have to sit tight.

The world returned underneath Katherine's feet again, and the first thing she did when she was able to move again was look for the Master so she could kick his head in. She stopped when she realized where the machine had taken them. It was the island she had found to be one of her safe zone, completely uncharted by any country and wouldn't ever be, because in less than ten years it would be underwater. The Master was standing a few feet away from her, holding his head. Traveling exposed through the raw fabric of time was usually very disorientating. He still had a firm grip on his laser screwdriver with his other hand, but Katherine took advantage of his recovery and snatched it from him. It actually took him a second to react. "Give that-"

"Do you have any idea of what you've done!" Katherine was seething, pointing the screwdriver at the Master. He didn't flinch, figuring that the controls were still isotonic. He didn't answer the outburst because they both knew what he attempted to do. This wasn't what he had in mind however.

"Where are we?" he asked, stepping closer.

"Uncharted land," Katherine replied, noting his lack of fear. "Feel free to get lost!" She put the screwdriver into her pocket and stormed towards her camp, not so much as glancing back at the Time Lord. She wasn't worried about him escaping. They were in the doldrums and Katherine neither owned a motorboat nor cared if he tried to make a sailboat. He'd fail. She was quite lucky that she had set her machine to override any external influence, taking her to this particular place. It was however in her best interest to get back off. This island was only 5 days away from being overtaken by a tidal wave. Calculating and recording any of the time she's spent on it she's been able to ride this island out for as long as it was worth. Katherine's only concern at the moment was to get back to camp before the Master did, so if he tried wandering off it'd be beneficial to her.

But he didn't. He had a feeling this place was a dead end, and that where ever the girl was headed was of actual importance. He followed along, even catching up to Katherine's anger fuelled pace.

In time itself, they were a week ahead of where they were before. Something didn't sit right with her though...there was a sick feeling in her gut and she felt like the first thing she had to do when she made it to camp was to check out the news...

The base camp was definitely a 'quaint' sort of place, very tightly packed with so much random junk and machinery that if it didn't have the certain essentials necessary for living, like a refrigerator, a hammock, and some other pieces of furniture, it would have easily been mistaken as someone's random trash pile. The entrance was made up of a broken canoe and some shrubs, which were growing a little out of control so Katherine had to duck to slip inside, flipping numerous switches hidden under the cover of leaves.

The computers on the make-shift desk came to life, and on the farther end of the cleared out space was a television, also flicking to life. The base was under the cover of tarp and dead plant parts, so nothing would get damaged.

Katherine paused for a moment when she saw the lack of transmission on the TV. "Now that's curious..."

"What?" The Master continued to follow, despite how tempting the computers looked. "You expected it to work out here?"

"It did. Very well too. I hooked up to satellite so I could receive transmission here." Genuinely worried, she shut the television off and turned on the radio. There was nothing but static. "Nothing...not even any marine reports. It's like all methods of communication are dead." Next came the computer, which she rolled out a chair and began to type. "And the internet is still functional...but it's abandoned. There are no users at all...None..." She ran a hand through her hair, praying this was some sort of mistake, or some sort of nightmare. She turned to the Master. "And you know it's not right, the entire internet just abandoned. It even sounds absurd."

Suddenly the radio cracked, a voice somehow transmitting through. Katherine snapped her fingers a couple of times. "Could you get that?"

Even though this matter didn't really trouble him, it was very interesting. He began to tune the radio, until the transmission was fully audible.

_"-and whatever you do, don't come back up. Don't drink the water, the water isn't safe. We...aren't going to make it, but we might as well try. I'm sorry Lisa...I'm so sorry... . . . . This is General Robert Hugby issuing a global state of emergency. The virus has been reported in all areas around the world, and the casualties are mounting at an alarming rate. Please, if you know anyone with this virus or that may have had contact with this virus, stay away from them, as far as possible. It has been confirmed that this virus can spread through the air, so if you have a storm cellar, stay down and whatever you do, don't come back up. Don't drink the water, the water isn't safe. We...aren't going to make it, but we might as well try. I'm sorry Lisa...I'm so sorry..."_

The whole message wasn't just cracked up, but it was easy to tell the voice on the other end belonged to a man in tears. It was also a recording...a broken recording. "What happened to this world..." Katherine muttered.

It happened so fast. Once Katherine came to her senses after she heard the message, she made her way to the front and flicked off all the switches, the radio's last dying words before the power was cut off being I'm so sorry...

"What are you going to do now?" The Master watched as Katherine took off that horrendous multicoloured coat, putting on a normal black trench coat that hung right next to it. She was in some kind of hurry all of a sudden.

"I'm going in. Whatever it is, I'm going in and finding out how to stop it." She was now digging through a chest of supplies, tossing out random things and pulling out a gas mask. "And you're coming with me."

"I thought you told me to get lost," the Master said, having more difficulty simply keeping up with her.

"Not on my base. Too many toys for you to play with. Speaking of toys." Katherine reached into her multicoloured coat pocket and took out the laser screwdriver, throwing it on her desk and going back into her pockets again. She pulled out a small object of sorts, it was a little something like the sonic screwdriver but a little bulkier. When she noticed he was trying to examine it she simply said, "Swiss-army knife. I don't like to go anywhere without it." She slid it into her new coat pocket and finally stopped moving so much, holding her hand out to the Master. "Let's go."

"How is it that you plan on making me?" He snapped.

"I could sink this whole island right now, and you'd be stuck in the middle of the Pacific with nothing but a lot of floating junk and the sharks. I'd be more beneficial if you came with me," Katherine explained.

With a frown, the Master was about to take Katherine's hand before she pulled away, digging through her chest in the corner and pulling out another gas mask, tossing it to him. "Almost forgot."

Yeah. Glad she didn't, the Master then took her hand and they both phased off the island, their next destination present time (as in still a week ahead) London.

They began to phase into existence again before an abandoned neighbourhood, but the first thing they noticed besides whatever they even saw was a horrible stench. Katherine was shielding her nose for a moment, still holding on tightly to the Master's hand. While he too was being disturbed by the scent, she quickly left her nose alone to reach for the 'Swiss knife' or sorts and swiped the hand she was still holding on to with it, quickly stuffing the object in her pocket. The Master withdrew his hand with some protest, taking a second to examine the fresh cut on it. "What did you just do?" He snapped.

"So you don't wander off," Katherine replied, holding her nose again. The smell was very familiar to her...the smell of decay. Glancing about, she didn't see anyone, and heard nothing. The streets were dead, there wasn't even a sound or a bird in the sky. Speaking of birds though, when she finally got a better look at the stretch of roads, bodies of pigeons littered the street.

"You took a sample, didn't you?" he grumbled, checking to see how deep the cut was.

"A week ago if someone would have seen you on the streets here you would have been as good as dead. But here...I don't see a soul..." Katherine trailed off, walking into the yards of one of the abandoned houses. The smell actually got worse the closer she came. Peering through one of the windows, she could already see the outline of a skeletal arm, but even the flies weren't about. Glancing back at the yard to see a couple of dead birds, she noticed that some of their flesh was missing, like the air itself was trying to devour them.

"The world is silent," the Master said, also taking a glance at the body through the window.

The expedition was a very gloomy one, as both Katherine and the Master spent the last hour walking through the streets, finding bodies of all kinds of things everywhere; there were more pigeons, dogs, cats, the odd critters, bugs even, and then people. The state of everybody varied but all had one thing in common, and that was that they all appeared as the flesh was being eaten off of them. Unable to take much more of this, Katherine searched for the daily newspaper, finding one tossed out and neglected on the lawn. By the date, it looked to be about five days after they had left the orphanage. The front page read, "Killer virus; Clearview to blame".

"Clearview. They were the ones who were on the news," she said to herself, reading the column. The Master was still looking about at the bodies, looking rather unaffected by the scene, but he was near enough to overhear. "I knew it couldn't be right. It says here...it says that the cure, which was administered in a series of two injections per week for the first month, didn't even make it to a few days after it was given to critical patients. Blame rested on one of the two injections, which was actually a flesh consuming virus. Flesh consuming..." Her eyes flickered past the newspaper to catch a glimpse of one of the birds, growing even more disturbed.

"Whatever it was, it had to be mutated in order to affect all these different life forms," the Master pointed out, partly paying attention. He said the same thing she was thinking.

"Why the hell would anyone accept treatment involving a flesh consuming virus!" Katherine tossed the paper to the ground, already fuming. "How could this happen? Don't people pay attention to anything anymore? It's been the age of deception for what now? Three years?" Fists clenched in anger, she didn't even turn to face the Master. "Let's go," she growled. "I'm not letting this happen. I'm not letting any of this happen at all."

"I'm not moving from here," the Master continued to protest, even though Katherine was just seconds from beating him senseless (or die trying). She fixed the mask they had put over their faces before they even came here and jabbed the Master in the shoulder with a finger.

"Even amongst corpses I'm not leaving you here," she growled. "There's too much for you to play with. You're coming with me now." She didn't think this far ahead, that the Master would go so far as to let himself be stuck here just to avoid staying a prisoner. Katherine tried to get a hold of him, but he kept dodging her.

He knew though, ultimately, that she would catch him. There was this unmistakable gleam in her eyes that suggested she would catch him no matter what, but he didn't have to make any of this easy. "Fine fine. I'll go," he said, taking a few steps back before Katherine could grab him. "But you have to call me by my name first."

"What? Why? Don't you see this is serious?" She was still preparing to tackle this guy if he was just trying to distract her. At the same time too, she didn't want to stoop to what the Master was insisting her to do.

"You can either address me properly or make this a lot more difficult. I could care less what happens to the human race, as you already know," he said, shrugging.

"If you don't come back with me, /Master/, I will just have to kill you. And I'd rather not." Her words were seething, as if the name itself was a poison.

"Fair enough," the Master said, if only his grin could be seen beyond the gas mask. Yeah, it's been a while, but hearing someone say his name again made him feel several hundred years younger.

So he and Katherine then teleported back to Cardiff, appearing in front of the orphanage back in the time they had left. They both took off their masks simultaneously as they made for the orphanage door, about to give it a knock when the Master grabbed her arm and held it down. "We can do this ourselves, can't we? I know you could," he tried.

"Not alone with you," she corrected, simply knocking with the other hand. "Remember? You could give less than a crap about the human race. I don't need help saving it with someone who believes that." She was actually hoping the Doctor might have a place to shove his crazy friend here while they take care of this. Katherine only knew of prisons and stuff, but for some odd reason she didn't want to put him in one anymore. Well, actually, she did, but she kept having this eerie feeling that she needed him out for now.

Hearing a knock the Doctor headed towards the door, opening it slowly. After glancing then looking again he saw that it was Katherine and the Master. He opened the door wide this time, stepping to the side so they could get in.

"Christopher has gone and-" he started. He didn't want to say it. How could he say that his TARDIS could have been stolen by Christopher?

"And...? Hold on, take this." Katherine just handed the Doctor her gas mask just to get it out of her hands. "We need to head for London now. I can't take more than two people at a time so we need another method of transportation. How is it that you get around?" She was addressing the Doctor this time, but she didn't like the expression on his face. "The blue box. You use that, don't you?"

"Christopher stole the TARDIS," the Master said, looking at the Doctor's eyes. "Good kid, but stupid." He ran a hand through his hair and looked to Katherine. "You could just take us one at a time, or better yet I can stay here."

"Staying is the problem with you," Katherine snapped at the Master. "If I do it that way I'm taking you first in broad daylight so you don't do anything smart. Plus, I've got a sample on you so you can't go anywhere that I can't follow you to." She didn't say other planets though. Her machine couldn't teleport her to any other planet. She then looked to the Doctor. "He stole your box? Why would he do that?"

"Oh don't start…" The Doctor said looking at the Master. He couldn't or wouldn't believe that Chris could be any relation to the Master but he did have some similarities. He narrowed his eyes, warning him as subtle as he could.

"Stupid just like you" he muttered after the remark the Master gave about him. He didn't want to admit it but the Master and Chris did have some or many things in common.

"I believe that could carry two excluding you, right?" the Doctor asked Katherine, only directed at her, like the Master wasn't even there. He gestured to the device on her hand.

"No," Katherine replied, taking the glove off of her left hand. "The machine takes me and whoever is taking my hand. There are nodes I installed on all my extremities, fingers, toes, and such so the machine can take others and so it'd be protected from the fabric of space and time. I could take you both...but it's dangerous. The overall field is weaker and we'd be more exposed. It's a short jump though," she said, scratching the back of her head. For some reason she had a feeling the Doctor had taken short jumps through time while exposed to the raw fabric, but the person she was most unsure about was herself. She never had. "Given what I've seen I'm prepared to chance it."

"How did you manage to make such a primitive thing?" The Master asked. "First the coordinate system looks like it was being kept together with gum and paperclips, and now you're telling me that your field is extremely limited?"

"Shut up," Katherine grumbled. "First of all, I told you the coordinate system is stolen, and I had to program it myself in limited time. The whole field thing was never supposed to be an issue because I never planned on taking more than one person with me. Myself. I left open the opportunity to take more in case of emergencies, so either praise me for the foresight or shut your mouth."

Nice. The Master did stay quiet for a moment before looking to the Doctor. "You know, he's your great-grandson and he's taking after me. I don't know whether I should try to kill him if given the chance or adopt him." He looked to Katherine for a moment with a small grin, but he was still meaning for the Doctor to overhear. "He is up for adoption, isn't he?"

"I thought you couldn't stand him," Katherine said, shaking her head. No, she didn't get that the Master was trying to bother his nemesis in the best way he could at the moment. "So, we ready to make the jump?"

The Doctor guessed that the comments that the Master was commenting would be for trying to get under his skin. Ignoring them completely until the comment about killing him if he got the chance or adopting him he glared at him until he heard Katherine. 'Are you ready to go?'

The Doctor nodded, holding out his hand, still staring at the Master. Getting angered at his games.

Katherine took the Doctor's hand, extending the other so the Master could take it. He gave it a wary glance for a moment, because the last time she cut him, but he took it anyways.

The three phased out, then reappearing in an alley a few buildings down from Clearview Research. It was a tight but quick trip, but it left Katherine a little drained. She glanced at the small console on the back of her left hand and reached into her coat pocket to put her glove back on. "We're less than 100 feet away. Feet," she looked up at the Doctor for a second, remembering how American unit of measurement was only used in America, so she corrected herself quickly. "About 35 /meters/ away, sorry."

The Master peeked out of the alleyway, quickly retreating. "News crews. By the multitudes. There's no way for me to get through that without being noticed," he pointed out.

Katherine also took a look outside with a frown. "He's right," she said with a sigh. "He'll not only be seen, but he'll be filmed, questioned...I don't want to be wanted for more than just being a thief /once/. I'll be chased until the end of the world if I'm seen harbouring a criminal like him." She thought for a moment, then remembering the gas masks. "Hey chief, still have that gas mask I gave you?"

He didn't reply, on purpose. She knew he hated when she called him that.

She let out a heavy sigh. "Did you bring the mask, /Master/?"

He held up the mask, playfully shaking it. "How did you guess?"

Katherine lead the way as they made for the target, and the newscasters haven't noticed them just yet. The Master was wearing the gas mask over his face so he wouldn't be recognized right off the bat.

The Doctor ignored the Master's little childish antics with Katherine. Before hand he noticed that she looked slightly drained. He had imagined at that would have happened sooner or later.

The Doctor led the way, not making eye contact with any of the reporters; he just went straight in and headed towards the building. Chris could be in there and yes it is highly possible.

Katherine didn't stop for any of the reporters as well, zigzagging her way through the crowd pushing the Master along so he didn't squirm away. They began tossing questions at the trio until they managed to get inside, that one receptionist still typing away at that computer, her expression purely robotic.

She didn't know what to do next. Obviously she couldn't go barging in and asking for this famous chemist right off the bat. For all they knew she might not have even been here. She had a feeling that Chris was here however, call it women's intuition or maybe just a bit of the Master that wasn't killing her like the rest of the stuff stored at the back of her fleshy mind. She recognized the name of the person who was at the apartment when she gazed up at a plaque up on the wall. Ms. Ella Smitty, or rather Professor Smitty, Shipping Advisor and Chemist. If Katherine had a name to offer she could simply waltz inside.

Approaching the counter she waited until the receptionist payed her any heed. "What can I do for you this afternoon?" she finally asked.

Katherine knew one of the things Clearview was probably looking for were people willing to participate as candidates for research, so mentioning that they were here for that would also make it easy to get in. Unfortunately it would also make their presence announced. She looked up at the Doctor, both wondering if he would speak up and if he had decided how they were going to get in.

The Doctor looked between Katherine and the receptionist. "We are here to see Ms. Fair, i think, to participate as candidates for research, I'm Doctor. John Smith and this is my assistant Katherine and-" he said looking finally at the Master. What would he call him?

Katherine raised a brow at the Doctor, still staying silent but wondering if he really did know her real name or if it was just a coincidence. Then looking to the Master, she waited for him to answer. The receptionist actually stared at him, intrigued by his mask, so Katherine decided to cover him.

"This is Fred, and he's a special case...he suffers from ah...very bad lung cancer. He thinks that if he wears that mask he won't inhale anything harmful." She then gave the receptionist a very subtle crazy gesture, earning a glare from the Master.

She must have believed them, because she went back to her computer and then told them "Ms. Fair will be with you shortly."

The Doctor looked at Katherine. She looked surprised that he knew her name. Well how could he forget it after she introduced herself to him?

Seeing the Master he walked towards him and whispered something. "I didn't know you looked like a Fred" he said in a playful tone but he straightened up as he heard the elevator open and he looked towards it, moving away from the Master.

The Doctor just had to bring up Fred again. He glared at the two and whispered, "Well at least we're getting in, aren't we?"

Katherine began to hum the 'Special Fred' song, which earned her a small punch on the shoulder from the Master. She still was smiling about it though as she turned to him. "Hitting girls? Tsk tsk."

"Sometimes I wonder," he grumbled.

This might have gone on longer if they weren't approached by Ms. Fair herself. She looked upon all of them with a smile, hands on her hips as she scrutinized the trio with mild interest. After about a moment of this, she looked to the Doctor, who she figured was the leader (and it secretly bothered the Master greatly).

"You announced yourselves as volunteers to the receptionist, which is funny because I already stopped taking them." She was still smiling though, so perhaps they weren't really in trouble just yet. "So who are you? If you're not authorized to be here I'm afraid you'll have to be escorted off the premises."

Katherine stood there, with another perfect excuse, but they couldn't pull it off without any identification. Like, they could have said they were health inspectors or something. How in the world did Christopher get in? Did he get in? Katherine would have asked if she knew the situation better.

After many hours. Being a Time lord he had a good sense of time and timing. Chris slowly exited the TARDIS being very careful not to be seen or heard. Closing the door he locked it after him and placed the keys in his pocket. He glanced around the cupboard, nothing more than a janitor's cupboard and it looked like it was well, never used.

Walking towards the door he turned the handle and pulled it towards him, opening the door he stepped out into the dark corridor, there were many dim wall lights on both sides in set intervals.

"Looks like none is here" he thought out loud but his voice was hushed, trying to keep quiet. Walking down the corridor, silently with stealth but you could hear small clicks echoing from the polished hard floor.

Reaching the stair well he went down, having a feeling, a hunch that he would find something in the lower levels. His footsteps taped as he jogged down the hard stairs, his hand gliding along the side rail.

Chris just reached the lower levels, level 4 just when the doors sealed shut. He jogged up to them. "Oh great" he said running his hand along the join between both doors. "Air tight seal, there is no way i can override it from here" he thought out loud, turning round, his back to the door he started to head for the stairs. "Something is big here..very"

Jogging up the steps, missing about two in each stride he climbed them with ease. Reaching level 3 he paused. Glancing down the dimly lit hall. Seeing that the door was open where he left the TARDIS and two people stood guarding it, of sorts.

"Oh great" he muttered. Glancing up the stairwell to the upper level and small smile slowly lit up his face.

"Time to go up" he muttered and he started to jog up to the upper level, trying to be quiet about it, only tiny toe taps.

The two were giving her the creeps to tell the truth, even though they both were her new bosses. Talking about her being 'vital' to the next step in their discovery, and how her role was very important, her 'future' role no less. But they were being friendly enough so far. Crimson actually put down whatever she was doing and actually took Rebecca around the labs, asking her the typical questions about her education, her previous experiences, things like that. Mr. Kay was following them as well, and he made the friendly informational comment on occasion along the tour. Once the entirety of the 2nd basement labs was explored, an employee came and called Ms. Fair aside.

"We've found something on the lower level," the assistant whispered, since the new girl was still in their general vicinity.

"How much lower?"

"3rd floor. A box," the assistant stammered. "It's blue and it looks like an old-"

"Oh. I see," Ms. Fair interrupted, a small smile forming on her face. "Don't worry about it. Just seal sector C and D. The rest will take care of itself."

The assistant quickly nodded, fiddling with her keys and making her way to the worktable, kneeling under it to turn on the first set of security doors. Once the key was turned, down in B4 four strange doors of which this world has seldom seen closed air tight, locking away whatever may be inside from sight.

Rebecca could only wonder what that was all about. "I've done a little research on you," Ms. Fair said casually, already back to her microscope. "Is it not true that your family has a history of osteosarcoma?"

What...why did that come up? "Excuse me...?"

"A few weeks ago you went to see a doctor about a pain you've been having in your left knee. He found something suspicious on the x-rays," Ms. Fair continued.

"Ms. Fair...what does that have to do with...me working here?" Rebecca was starting to feel highly uncomfortable again.

Crimson looked up, smile on her face. "Everything."

By now, Rebecca and Crimson were already in one of the rooms in back, a small white room that looked like a doctor's office. Rebecca was sitting on the bed, still confused and somewhat upset. No one ever told her there were extra qualifications for this job, like becoming a guinea pig. That was what she was about to do, right? It didn't seem like it, the way that Ms. Fair so well put it. She was 'being tested for compatibility', because everyone in this job had to be in pique physical condition for several reasons that sounded good at the time and whatnot. Ms. Fair was examining the x-ray that she had somehow managed to get of Rebecca's knee, a hand to her chin as she slowly shook her head. "This doesn't look good, Ms. White."

"That's what the doctor said," Rebecca said, fixing the way that she was sitting.

"You know, I just so happen to have the cure to what ails you," Ms. Fair said, looking up at Rebecca with a grin.

"But they haven't even done a biopsy yet. They don't even know what it really is," Rebecca insisted, unsure of what her boss was insinuating.

"Please...you and I both know what that is." Crimson showed the x-ray to Rebecca. "I've seen it so many times in my research. I can cure it; stop it from growing, living, spreading. The cure is in the process of being approved Ms. White. And we all need to be in the best condition possible."

Rebecca watched as Crimson prepared both needles. One was actually sealed in a glass case, while the other simply appeared empty, like it only had air inside. Ms. Fair began to explain the process to Ms. White as she prepared the injection site on Rebecca's arm.

"The second injection must immediately follow the first, if not, then unnecessary pain will be felt," she began, stopping to explain. The actually administering of the cure had to be done with precision and speed, involving total concentration.

"So it'll hurt?"

"In horrible ways, but not for long."

The closer Crimson came with the first injection, still in it's glass case, the uneasier Rebecca became. She began to second-guess ever coming to work here, and wishing she hadn't, and hoping for some way to escape. Anything.

She was so terrified that she couldn't even scream. Ms. Fair took the glass casing off of the first needle and grabbed the second, keeping it ready. With that, she pricked Ms. White's arm with the first shot.

It didn't hurt at first, but it felt warm, like something was creating energy there. Suddenly, her body felt like it was on fire on the inside. She fell off the bed, collapsing to the ground and crying, barely able to speak or even make a sound. She didn't even feel it when the second shot was administered, and the pain died away slowly, until it became dull, like if her whole body was simply sore.

"W-what did you d-do?" Rebecca was crying, unable to stand up even though most of the pain subsided.

"It's fairly simple, dear," Ms. Fair said with a smile, putting the first needle back in the glass case and throwing both in the bin. "The first injection is where the real genius lies. A virus I managed to modify that consumes all organic tissue. What you were feeling was being eaten alive from the inside out. The second injection is a pocket of nanomeds, which are microscopic robots that repair and replace damaged tissue, but not the cancers and the tumours that you once possessed. Just fresh, young, vibrant tissues. You just died and rebirthed in record time."

Rebecca couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was great, but at the same time it was horrifying. "W-what if the second injection didn't work?"

"The nanomeds always work," Crimson corrected. "But if I failed to give them to you in time, you would have been consumed alive, in the most horrid way." She was smiling as she said this, which unnerved Rebecca deeply.

"Tell me Rebecca, what do you think?"

Crimson had already walked Ms. White to her x-ray, freshly printed. Where there had once been a foggy spot there was the healthiest knee Rebecca had ever seen in her life, and she had been to medical school and seen some pretty grotesque x-rays. "It's a miracle," she said, but not in complete awe. There was an undertone of mistrust. "But the virus is what I'm concerned about. Did the nanomeds destroy it?"

"The nanomeds cannot destroy. They are only programmed to create," Ms. Fair said. "The virus is still consuming you, but the nanomeds are replacing all they consume at an instant. The virus can only survive for 48 hours whether it has sustenance or not."

"So in 48 hours I would be completely cured?" Rebecca wasn't sure if she could believe it.

Ms. Fair smiled, but it wasn't the friendly grin Rebecca had been seeing. She was already walking out of the room, and Rebecca quickly followed her. They made it back to the main lab, not far from where Christopher was interrogating Mr. Kay. She approached a steel orb and connected it, then looking to Rebecca with a devious smile. "No. No you won't. I've read your file, Ms. White, very carefully. No family, except for your mom who is...well, dying of cancer. No friends, or hardly any because you spend all your time trying to pay for your mother's medical bills. You don't have to worry about her anymore, and considering the truth behind these records, she won't worry about you much longer either."

Seeing where this was going, Rebecca was white with terror. "B-but people will start noticing. People will start looking for me!"

"No Rebecca. No they won't. They'll be a little preoccupied." With that, Ms. Fair flicked the switch on the orb. The nanomeds leaked out of Rebecca's pores, attracted to the orb like metal to a strong magnet. Rebecca only had seconds until she fell to the floor again in crippling pain. Ms. Fair kneeled down to her level, laughing a bit. "You're lucky, you know. Your death will be quick. This variation of the virus was the first one I created. The second will take it's time..." She stroked the shaking girl's head. "It'll start to consume the brain, then the nerves. Everything it can before letting you die."

"Y-you'll die t-too," Rebecca sobbed, almost unable to speak. She grabbed at Ms. Fair's arm, right at the wrist, but let go when she noted the horrible truth.

"I was never alive to begin with," Ms. Fair said, her stern expression the last thing that Rebecca saw before her eyes were consumed, and in less than a couple of minutes there was only a partially flesh mangled remain of Ms. White. Ms. Fair made her way to the desk and pressed the PA button. "Clean up in B2."

Ms. Fair waited until the janitor came. He put a black bag over what was left of Rebecca and proceeded to tie it up. "This one's a little messy. Hey, it's not contagious, is it?"

Smiling, the president of Clearview began to walk out. "Not this variation, Keats. Mind your business." She had just gotten a message that there were some new subjects available for testing. Funny that she couldn't recall asking for any. As she made her way to the elevator, she got on her phone, making a call to Ms. Smitty. The phone didn't ring more than once.

"Did they already allow global distribution?" Ms. Fair asked, pressing the 1L button.

_"Yes. They have already administered the drug to the most critical patients. They were a little worried about the immediate effects, but they got over it when they got a hold of the results. They love you, Ms. Fair."_

"They do, do they? Well, that'll change in time. Speaking of time, I believe I'm not alone."

_"What do you mean? Someone else is in on it?"_

"No...Nevermind. Work on part 2, and if anyone asks any questions, you know how to answer."

With that, she hung up, the elevator then coming to a halt. When the doors opened, she could see the trio at the receptionist's desk, but she recognized none of them.

Reaching level 2 he glanced around. Seeing a pair of closed fire doors he slowly headed towards them. His footsteps becoming silent. Anything could be on the other side and he had to be ready for it. Placing his palm on the metal panel he took in a breath. Plucking out the psychic paper he hovered it over the sensor next to the door. An easy way to get in.

Hearing the lock click open he pushed the door, he glanced around the room, the lab. That was, strangely easy. Closing the door behind him he placed the psychic paper back in his pocket with the sonic screwdriver and the fob watch in the other pocket in his pair of trousers.

Seeing the various equipment he couldn't help himself, he went straight for them, still staying silent. He looked through the microscope. Interesting, very interesting. Plucking away from the microscope he looked round, sticking to the shadows. He had a feeling that he wasn't alone.

Christopher wasn't alone. Mr. Kay had been watching the boy with some interest for a while now, only guessing that he was the intruder that mousey assistant was talking about. He didn't make a move to stop the boy just yet, but he did have quite the cruel fate planned for him. After all, he was already amongst the specimen, and without the nanomeds to help him, he was as good as dead if he got too curious.

But these weren't the fresh viruses, merely their derivatives. Ms. Fair was up to creating them, modifying them for whatever purpose, though presumably to make the cure perfect. One could only hope...

"Doesn't look like a cure to me" he said out loud, his voice filled the room as if he was actually speaking to Mr. Kay but not directly. "I'm not a chemist person myself but at a guess these 'organisms' are deadly in some way in like the carnivorous way" he said returning to the microscope again, looking through it again but then returned to look around the area of the room again, seeing a shadow.

Mr. Kay emerged, but in truth he wasn't really hiding intentionally. "They need to be deadly in order to serve their function," he answered. He knew Chris was an intruder, but so far he was treating him like a curious visitor. Like a kid who got lost from his class tour. "Cancer itself is a carnivorous disease, and your own body generates it. To think, your own body trying to eat itself. This part of the cure consumes the consumer."

"Quite Impressive" he said glancing at Mr. Kay. "Pity that I didn't think of it" he said looking into the microscope again then out again. He looked over Mr. Kay.

"I wouldn't have thought that you would have made this by yourself, where's the real inventor" he said with a smirk appearing on his face then a small grin. He was liking this already. People dead, eaten, nice.

He didn't make a move to walk anywhere closer to Mr. Kay he knew the risks and he didn't want to chance it, keep his distance and with an escape route would be fine.

"Ms. Fair is currently busy with a new employee," Mr. Kay said calmly. In fact, for a man dealing with an intruder, he was quite well reserved. It was almost as if he was a little too confident. "But if you have any sort of questions, there are few that I am unable to answer." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a strange, flat looking needle. "Do excuse me for a moment, but I must take my medication." With that, he put the needle to his arm and injected whatever was inside...it looked like it was just air.

"A flesh consuming virus, would eat any flesh even cancer but it wouldn't stop." he started to say staring at Mr. Kay, hopefully wanting to get eye contact to even notice him falter at any moment.

"But that's only half of the said /cure/, isn't it, with a second injection that stops the virus from feasting OR" he said, his two fingers reaching his temple again and started to tap the drums out again. "You have a second injection which repairs or replaces the cells and flesh are highly plausible." he said almost thinking out loud.

"But I bet you haven't tested it, not to its full extent" he started with a smile growing on his face. "You don't know if the second injection works or can keep up with the virus, do you?" he asked his grin growing wider and wider. Oh he liked to tease.

Mr. Kay laughed, simply amused. This boy thought he had it all, didn't he? Unfortunately for him, his error would cost him gravely...but he had to stay calm as he was. Who knew what Ms. Fair truly wanted of the intruder? 'Getting rid of him' might upset her, but Mr. Kay was already prepared just in case the boy tried anything he would then end up regretting. "The second injection never fails to make it's repairs, not in any of the trials we have gone through so far, no matter how strong the virus, and that is why we are able to use the virus in it's most hostile state." He smiled, looking to the individual glass jars overhead. "It is the virus we are constantly manipulating. Trying to see if we could dull the pain and lessen the suffering before the liberating second treatment. Ms. Fair wants no one to suffer any longer. It is why she got into this business."

"Hmm... i see" he said thinking but he kept his eyes connected to Mr. kay but still was aware of his surroundings. He twitched his ears at the sound of claps from heels, probably a woman.

"But in some cases to live is to suffer" he said glancing at the other side of the lab out the corner of his eye. "I would guess that you are wanting to kill everyone but only people affected with cancer will get the treatment so, the virus could be, air born" he said his body stiffening slightly. He could be at risk but he relaxed again.

"You've got to die of something and the quicker the better in some cases" he added on after figuring out that the final stage could be airborne. Hence the Air Tight seal on the doors when it was locked down on the lower level.

"I simply don't know what you're talking about," Mr. Kay said, still smiling. "Our goal here at Clearview is and always had been to cure what ails humanity. This virus could never get out of control, as long as the nanomeds are still active." He coughed, feeling a little weak. Even though Ms. Fair's orb was just a miniature test for Rebecca's nanomeds specifically, he lost some of this own. He reached into his pocket to inject a second round of them to himself. "Do pardon me, but I have to take my medication again. Twice within an hour every 12 hours," he explained.

Chris removed his grin from his face and stared at Mr. Kay without any emotion.

"If you excuse me, i really need to get going" he said slowly walking towards the door but kept in his sights, out the corner of his eye.

Reaching the door he pulled it open and walked out.

"I need to get to the TARDIS, or get it safe but first i want to look into the system" he said to himself in a murmur. Seeing the stairs go up he ran upwards, wanting to get somewhere where he wouldn't get disturbed and he could get into the computer system.

Jogging up the steps he finally began to get closer to the Ground Level.


	9. Clearview: Part 2

A/N: -sigh- Eight Chapters and 36,900 words and still no reviews?

I want reviews people, good, the bad and the bloody ugly. I want to know what people think of this story so I can develop my writing skills or does the plot suck that much?

Anyway, please if you're reading this story, could you do me a favour and please review?

-RANT OVER-

Disclaimers: Don't OWN Doctor Who.

OC Disclaimers:

Christopher Grey (c) Me

Katherine Sears (c) Purnip

Ella Smith (c) Purnip

Mr. Kay (c) Purnip

Ms. Fair persona (c) Purnip

Susan Paddison persona (c) ME!

**Chapter VIIII**

'Clearview: Part 2'

"Oh we must have come late then?" he asked looking at Ms. Fair with slight interest. He then glanced at the Master and Katherine. "As for introducing ourselves I'm Dr. Smith and this is Katherine and Fred, my /assistants/. Fred is suffering for bad lung cancer and would be the main volunteer" he said gesturing to them as he spoke.

The Doctor held out his hand in exchange for a hand shake with Ms. Fair.

Reaching to the ground floor Christopher pushed through the weighed down fire doors, he appeared in the reception near the elevator but just to the side, at a 90 degree angle. The Stair well was in the corner. Now he froze, seeing the trio and the back of a woman.

As silently as he came he went but slowly. Hopefully he didn't get seen but he doubted that.

'Fred' managed to get a glance at Christopher before he retreated again, so before Ms. Fair could speak up, the Master added, "I'm quite critical. I've refused chemo in hopes that your cure would work." He despised being the guinea pig but he didn't plan on staying that way. Wait...why was he helping them get in again? Didn't he /not/ care? Constantly he had to remind himself that he was being dragged along, and so he'd be part of whatever madness these fools got into. Drumming on the side of the receptionist's desk, he waited for the woman to speak.

Plus, there was something very, /very/ off about her. Like he was supposed to recognize her from someplace and just couldn't.

"Well, I might have some slots open," Ms. Fair replied, thinking it over. "You may follow me then, and I'll take care of whatever I can." Oh, she suspected them alright. First of all, she stopped taking volunteers a week ago, so coming late there would have been some notice. Also, she had a strange sense of familiarity about the Doctor and the Master, who had introduced themselves with obviously shady names. At this point she was debating on whether she should simply rid herself of them or let them take a look at her genius; get a good look at what would soon vanquish all life.

Katherine looked to the Master for a moment, wondering why he was so easily taking the fall as a test subject. It wasn't in his nature to do such a thing; she knew it and she just met him. Maybe he might have actually had something to do with all of this...

Because it had been bugging her for quite a while. He expressed little surprise when they saw what they saw in the future, he showed little interest in the situation. Was that also in his nature as well? Whether he was in on it or not (because they had, after all, found him in 'Professor' Smitty's flat), would he turn on them in the end? If he had a chance, she wouldn't doubt it. Even though their main enemy was Clearview, Katherine kept a close eye on her prisoner.

"Lead the way then" the Doctor said with a small smile. He actually found it quite amusing to see the Master like that but yet something troubled him, double troubled him. The Master being alive for one, where Katherine found him and why did Ms. Fair seem familiar.

Taking that aside he began to follow her.

Ms. Fair was leading the trio down to B2 via elevator, but she decided to head straight to B4 instead for a moment. To even get to that floor, a key turn was required, as Katherine noticed. The elevator paused and Ms. Fair made sure she was first to get off, turning to them with a small bow of her head. "I must fetch my supplies. Normally my assistant Mr. Kay helps me, but he seems to be a little busy. I do ask that you stay here. Don't worry, the elevator won't move."

When she left them, Katherine was about to sneak out as well, but she then noted a security camera right by the elevator's opening. "Hm...key I can handle, but not camera," she mumbled to herself. Leaning on the elevator wall she was absentmindedly tapping out to the drums.

"Now you're the one out of sync," the Master noted, scratching around the mask before simply taking it off.

"Hey, you're going to blow your persona," Katherine said, pushing the mask up. "You're supposed to be special Fred, remember?" Then looking to the Doctor, she finally asked a question that had been on her mind. "So I just noticed something, and it kind of bothers me a lot, but maybe it's just my imagination. Ms. Fair was holding her breath." And what she really meant was that she wasn't even breathing at all. "For a very long time too."

The Master had long noticed that, but didn't make a remark on it. The longer Ms. Fair was around, the more uncomfortable he got. Somehow he was able to feel her seething hatred, but was it in his head...or hers?

"I don't think she was breathing at all" he said looking at Katherine. Glancing out of the elevator he noticed the camera.

"If only I have my sonic screwdriver and that thing wouldn't be a problem" he said withdrawing his head back into the elevator.

Ms. Fair used the hand scan to get into sector C, the air tight seal giving and the door opening slowly. Inside there was a massive steel ball, like the miniature one in her main laboratory but about a hundred times larger. Surrounding it were jars upon jars of both what appeared to be nothing and others with a bright red content. Those with the bright red contents were double sealed.

"I didn't think I'd see them again," Ms. Fair said to herself in a rather amused manner.

"This couldn't get any better! I just can't wait. Should I shut it on today or still wait till tomorrow?"

The smile on her face was just sinister. She recognized the two Time Lords with little difficulty, both there the day the Master became PM and having heard detailed stories about the Doctor. Whoever the girl was, probably the Doctor's latest companion, she could care less. She, like the rest of the humans, would all share the same fate.

############################################################################################################

Chris ran up the stairs, trying to think as he ran. They're here now and he probably, no, definitely would get scolded for taking the TARDIS. Reaching the first upper level he opened the doors, finding himself in an office he ran into the nearest unoccupied cubicle. This was his chance, getting to the computer he started to run into the system until he got blocked, he didn't have the security to go any deeper than the patient list, who had taken the drug etc.

Keeping his head down he got the sonic screwdriver out from his pocket, pressing the button and aiming it at some wires he began to hopefully get past the block even though it was tough. He glanced up and around every about 30 seconds or so to check that no one was coming in general direction. Hearing a click and beep he looked back at the monitor, he was in.

Scrolling down he began to read at a very alarming rate.

"Oi, what you doing in here?" a stern famine voice came from behind him, closing the computer down by the restart he glanced round. Seeing a tall thin woman with her brown almost blond like hair tied back, her formal dress made Chris wrinkle his face with disgust but that didn't stop her from glaring down at him. "Get up" she barked in a low tone so no one could hear.

Chris stood up, more like dragged up by the tough grip she had over his arm. She looked about 27 but in a matter of fact she was 36, very good for her age.

"Nothing I got lost-" Chris began not really bothered that she had hold of his arm and he was found out.

"No buts" she said stopping him in mid sentence. Using her free hand she picked up the phone and placed it on her shoulder, tilting her head to keep it from slipping she dialled in the number to the Lab which Ms. Fair normally used.

It kept on ringing.

Hanging up the phone she looked at Chris. She always answered. Doubting that everything was alright, like she had before hand when she walked into the lab once and noticed something she shouldn't have some white bones like they were fresh or she could have imagined it and they could have just been bleached but still. It freaked her out and the day after she went back down to find a half...eaten body.

Chris saw her face and looked at her.

"I've got to go" he said as he tried slipping away.

"Oh no, you don't" she said grabbing hold of him.

"Firstly tell me your name" she said her tone getting warmer and less stern.

"First I want to know yours, I don't talk to strangers" Christopher retorted, repressing the urge to scoff.

"Susan, Susan Paddison" she replied, she had to get the boy to speak up, how would security be able to track down who he was with.

"Yours?" she added, asking him.

"Christopher Grey, I can't really say that it's very nice to meet you Susan" he said with a disgruntled tone, it had to be coincidence that this woman's name was Susan, like the Master said it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack looking for his mother and secondly, he didn't even know that she was even using that name still.

"I've got to go to my friends. They just arrived" he said. "Well I'll be coming with you, if we can't find them then we'll have to go down to security." she added, dragging him by the elbow and released him as they exited her cubicle, but began following him on a tight leash.

############################################################################################################

Ms. Fair still wasn't back yet, and Katherine was getting antsy.

"Guys, I have a very bad feeling about all this, I mean, us being down here, cornered into an elevator that won't move without a key turn." She glanced up at the two.

"Am I right? Especially since we have every reason to suspect Clearview of killing everyone with a flesh eating virus."

"Do you still have that key of yours?" The Master looked to Katherine, but he wasn't sure that she brought it with her when she changed coats. She did nod though.

"I slipped it into my pocket. Why though? She'll notice if we're missing." But before anyone could correct her, she added, "One of us can go up, and the others can make up some excuse, like the person went to the restroom."

"She won't believe us," the Master pointed out.

"Yeah, but one of us could be doing /something/ other than being a sitting duck." She looked to the Doctor. "Would you rather I go or you? The Master has to stay with someone."

The Doctor looked at Katherine.

"It is better that you go, I and he have got more than one life" he said glancing from her to stare at the Master. His face was serious.

He placed his hands into his pockets, missing his screwdriver and TARDIS keys.

"More than one?" Katherine didn't get it, thinking that the Time Lord must have been joking. Either way, it was back to being stealthy, and she had to be quick so that the elevator would return by the time Ms. Fair got there. Security would take a while to notice what was going on anyways. The motioned at the other two stepped out of the elevator and took her skeleton key out of her pocket, turning it in the elevator's slot. The doors closed, signalling that it was successful. Now to quickly choose a floor.

Technically any floor would have been better than the one they were on, but for some reason B2 looked like the more attractive choice, plus, it would give the elevator enough time to quickly go back down. Pressing the B2 button, the elevator hastily made its way there. Once it arrived, Katherine stepped out and turned the key once again, pressing B4. She quickly slipped out before the doors closed.

Meanwhile, Ms. Fair was interrupted by a call from Mr. Kay over a private intercom. _"There's an intruder on the second floor. Ms. Paddison has apprehended him."_

"Paddison?" Now this was interesting...well, because she knew who Paddison really was. "Susan found the intruder, did she? Have her take the intruder to the second basement floor."

_"Susan? But secretaries aren't allowed to the lower basement floors unless they're to be eliminated."_

"You did receive my message loud and clear, didn't you?" There was a sick grin on Ms. Fair's face as it probably registered with Mr. Kay. There was no further reply on the intercom as he went to deliver the message.

Mr. Kay arrived on the second floor via elevator, looking out for Ms. Paddison, but he could not find her at first. This was an easy problem to solve. Reaching the main intercom he made the message clear over all the building. _"Ms. Paddison, please escort our guest to the second basement floor. Ms. Fair will be with you momentarily."_

Susan heard the message on the intercom for her. It sounded like Mr. Kay.

She looked at Chris and he looked at her.

"Now I'm in trouble." she murmured and grabbed him by the arm. "If you would come with me" she said letting go of his arm when she felt that he was following her.

"Looks like my snooping around the labs earlier got noticed, very noticed" he said not particularly to her.

Reaching the elevator she pressed the button, glancing at Chris to make sure that he was still with her and he was. After many minutes and in that time the elevator did not arrive she headed towards the stairs, grabbing hold of Chris's arm and let go again after she felt that he was following again.

After about 5 to ten minutes she and Chris reached the floor they needed to be on. Going through the fire doors they entered the main part to the second basement floor, waiting for Ms. Fair.

Chris was that curious enough to stay with Susan. Placing a hand in his pocket he rubbed the Fob watch in his pocket. He stared at nothing in particular with his almost emotionless eyes.

Katherine quickly slipped out of the elevator before the doors closed. There was a security cam in front of this opening too, but ignoring it for the most part, Katherine headed for the main area, noticing that the fire door had moved a little. Once she reached it she slowly opened it, letting herself through when she immediately recognized Chris of the two.

"Hey! I had a feeling you'd be here," she said with a grin. "Glad to see you're still alive." Katherine then looked to Susan. "And you must be...?"

Chris turned to see Katherine arrive. "Oh great I thought I got rid of you lot at the reception" he muttered but loud enough for Katherine to overhear.

He looked from Katherine to Susan but before he could introduce her she introduced herself.

"I'm Susan, an employee here" she said looked at Katherine, making sure she wasn't a threat. Being back here on B2 made Susan feel anxious, the whole lab thing to her was rather creepy considering on her last visit down to this lab she found the remains of a human body, well there definitely was a human shaped skull and what seemed to be all of other bones found in a homo sapien.

"Ah, just admit it. You love us," Katherine teased, putting her hands behind her head as she stretched.

"So! You've been here longer than the rest of us. What have you found out?" As she spoke to Chris, she was still looking at Susan. Either it was a crazy coincidence or this might have been the same Susan Chris was carrying on about. What she's learned so far through her travels was that rarely anything was simply coincidence. She didn't say anything about it, because questions about such things had their time. Right now, the catastrophic vision of the future of her planet reminded her that this was a matter than needed to be taken care of swiftly. No loss of focus.

Chris looked at Katherine like he was disgusted. He hated the word 'love'. Once he did feel that emotion but after that tragic day he had never felt it ever since and probably never will. That girl stripped down his defences and made him care free maybe even happy in her company. But now love is a dead word for him.

Recovering from her teasing he relaxed again. "I haven't found much except that I got into the 'top secret' stuff by hacking into Ms. Paddison's computer here" he said pointing towards her.

"But I got caught but I read about 2 pages" he said. He wasn't that impressed that he only read two pages of files. If he didn't get caught he would have read 7 with an extra minute.

Hearing the elevator voice ringing out just on the other side of the fire doors Chris looked from Susan who knew it was, Ms. Fair, because they were awaiting her here. Ms. Fair expected Ms. Paddison and Chris but not Katherine.

Chris looked at Katherine. "Hide, she probably doesn't expect you to be here, at a guess, we don't want everyone to get caught" he said to her in a hushed voice. He hoped that Susan didn't give Katherine's hiding place out.

Susan looked from Chris then to Katherine. "You better hide" she said in a hushed voice. She too wanted to hide or run from Ms. Fair after what she had seen in this lab. She had known one person, a secretary like she walks in here and not come out. Susan even waited for her but she never came because they had plans to go out after work for a coffee or even a drink.

"Two files. Did they happen to be the patient names?"

But that was when the elevator had arrived. Katherine glanced to the fire doors and fully understood what that meant. She took to hiding by first running to the stairs, which were locked from B1. Taking out her special key she unlocked the door and headed up before she could hear the doors opening below. Slipped out in the nick of time, and the great thing about a key that could open anything was that she could visit any floor at any time, including that mysterious 4th basement floor.

###########################################################################################################

The elevator returned to the lowest basement floor, and the Master took a step back inside so they wouldn't look like they had gone anywhere. Ms. Fair returned with a bag by her side, her smile fading when she noticed the girl was missing.

"Where did your assistant run off to?" she asked in a friendly manner. Though she wasn't particularly worried having re-sealed both sectors, by experience she knew that the companions usually caused the most trouble.

The Doctor just stepped back inside and stepped out again when he heard Ms. Fair address him.

"I have no idea where she went" he said glancing around the area around the elevator even inside it.

"Did you see where she went 'Fred'?" he asked glancing back at the Master, still addressing him by his alias.

As far as he was concerned, Katherine was on the upper floor, the Doctor was here, and Chris was roaming about somewhere. He normally wouldn't hesitate to blow their cover for the sake of keeping just a shred of his pride, after being called 'Fred' for the...well; he was too annoyed to keep count. Still, for some reason he went along with this charade. He'd get everyone back soon enough. "I tried to tell her to stay, but she insisted that she needed to find a restroom."

"Uh-huh. Well, she'll catch up," Ms. Fair said with a smile. Of course, if Katherine was snooping around on this floor, Crimson was lying through her teeth. If the girl was still on the fourth basement level, she was as good as dead. So with that, she entered the elevator, about to turn her key when she noticed that the keyhole wasn't left turned to the side, as she had left it. Very curious. Ms. Fair pressed the 2B button, about to greet the intruder and the rather unfortunate Susan Paddison.

The atmosphere inside the elevator was very still, full of anticipation. The Master only hoped there would be an opening left for him at one point. If the Doctor failed (not that he really didn't think he would) then he wanted to be on the next ship out of here. He'd find other alien kind fast enough.

"I hope she will catch up" The Doctor said trying to keep the elevator ride less silent and more 'friendly'. After many minutes they finally stopped moving and the elevator doors slid open, a monotone voice rang out "B2". The Doctor stepped outside, knowing, assuming that this were their stop because no one was outside the elevator waiting for a ride up.

Ms. Fair walked out of the elevator quite swiftly, fully expecting the two to follow her. After all, where ever she was, that was where the action was. Now all that was on her mind was what she planned to do with them. Let's take things slowly; all in due time. She pushed past the fire doors to see both her secretary and the intruder waiting for her.

"I see you've caught the intruder, Ms. Paddison. Well done. I see a promotion in store for you." There were the plans she had for Susan that she felt would be the most redeeming.

The Master examined the secretary, but she appeared to be just another average person to him. He was also interrupted by the professor, and just when he had realized that he had left his mask off, it was she that noticed first.

"Well 'Fred', I see you've overcome your fear of breathing regular air."

Trying to look away he lied, "I thought the air was sterilized."

She smirked. "You don't have to lie to me, Mr. Saxon."

The Master was getting tired of this charade already, plus he had already been noticed. He fully faced Ms. Fair with a glare.

"I don't go by that name and I haven't for a year. I am the Master." He motioned to the rest of the lab. "And whatever I have done is just as bad if not better than whatever you have going on here, so don't you start." On the bright side, no one would call him Fred anymore.

Chris ignored what Ms. Fair said. Promotion, he highly doubted that Ms. Paddison would get a promotion. Even Susan doubted that.

"Hmm, Ms. Fair. I can't help but ask why you asked me to bring him down here, in your lab when I could have just left him with Security" she said, not convinced about the promotion.

"Yeah, I was just about to ask that too, maybe she wants 'us' out of the way" he said before seeing the Master finally giving out his name. A laugh escaped but he buttoned his mouth afterwards.

The thing that triggered it was Susan laughing at that name.

"'The Master' That isn't a name" she said finally returning from her laughing fit, covering her mouth politely so he couldn't see that she was laughing.

The Doctor looked at Chris with a glare which Chris returned. "Where's my TARDIS?" he asked with a stern tone.

"Oh that…she probably towed it" he said gesturing to Ms. Fair.

Placing his hands in his pockets he brushed his hands past the screwdriver and the fob watch.

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor asked taking his attention from Chris to Ms. Fair.

"That Cure isn't a cure, what you are planning?" he asked trying to get something out of her.

"Quite easy" Chris said, glancing from the Doctor to Ms. Fair.

"Flesh eating virus, nanomeds injected in afterwards that repair and re-grow tissue at an alarming rate, almost instantly but without them, a lethal killer" he said with a small smile.

"Kind of like it" he added after a moment of silence with a small chuckle.

"Very clever," Ms. Fair said with a smile, beginning to circle the bunch. "By the way, Ms. Paddison, his name is indeed 'the Master', haughty as it may be. I liked Fred better."

The Master was about to say something in return, but she then added. "So did it serve you well?"

"What are you talking about?" he snapped. She didn't answer though, shaking her head with a "Never mind."

Facing the bunch she didn't look at all like someone so exposed would look. She was way too easy-going about it.

"I had you bring the intruder down here for a reason, especially since I had been considering you for a promotion for quite some time." Ms. Fair reached into her bag, taking out the double sealed jar of lethal fluid.

"So I give you a choice. You may either take the opportunity I'm extending to you, or you will be terminated, effective immediately." Terminated did indeed have double meaning, but the promotion option did look more appealing now. There was no way to simply snag the container she was holding as well, since she made sure she was a little distant from them as she stood there holding it.

The Master was fully aware of what she intended to do with that container if Susan had refused. Perhaps even if Susan accepted. He wasn't that worried however. He had his gas mask so he'd be fine...right? For some reason, with how confident this lady looked, he wasn't too optimistic about it, but there was still one more thing.

"The virus would kill you too. Is that what you want? To senselessly destroy everything? At least when I made my moves I ensured my lives would stay intact and I had something to look forward to," the Master said with a smirk.

He must have struck a foul chord, because the glare she shot him would have been followed by a strangling if she wasn't holding all the cards. Well, figuratively...and as far as they were concerned. "If it wasn't for you, I'd still be alive," she hissed.

Susan was contemplating whether to take her offer or not. Remembering her friend getting the /promotion/ some time ago she was thinking of rejecting it. Her friend never came back after this promotion.

"I'm Fine-" she started; she was going to reject the offer.

"Rani…" Chris muttered hearing her little hints, the first probably about the fob watch, he remembered that the Master got Rani's fob watch because he didn't get one. The comment '"If it wasn't for you, I'd still be alive," 'made him believe that it could be her.

"Oh great now we've got a dead time lady walking" he hissed in a mocking tone. Almost sarcastic.

Susan couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I will decline the offer" Susan finished. She looked puzzled at Ms. Fair then at Chris. "What?"

Chris looked at her. "Oh never mind" he said side stepping away from her. For some strange reason he couldn't stand to be anywhere near her, the sensation made his pulse quicken and his hearts beat in his ears was almost deafening as they echoed the drumming within his head like a lover's melody.

A/N: I stopped it there, all idle chit-chat and I didn't want peeps to get bored now? xD


End file.
